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7 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


iV 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


1980 


Technical  Notes  /  Notes  techniques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filn.ing.  Physical 
features  of  this  copy  which  may  alter  any  of  the 
images  in  the  reproduction  are  checked  below. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Certains 
ddfauts  susceptibles  de  nuire  d  la  quality  de  la 
reproduction  sont  not6s  ci-dessous. 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couvertures  de  couleur 


D 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


21 


Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 


Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachet6es  ou  piqudes 


Tight  binding  (may  cause  shadows  or 
distortion  along  interior  margin)/ 
Reliure  serr6  (peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou 
de  la  distortion  le  long  de  la  marge 
intdrieure) 


D 


Coloured  plates/ 
Planches  en  couleur 


Show  through/ 
Transparence 


Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 


D 


Additional  comments/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires 


Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  bibliographiques 


n 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 


D 
D 


Pagination  incorrect/ 
Erreurs  de  pagination 


Pages  missing/ 
Oes  pages  manquent 


D 


Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


D 


Maps  missing/ 

Des  cartes  g^ographiques  manquent 


D 


Plates  missing/ 

Des  planches  manquent 


D 


Additional  comments/ 
Comment&ires  suppl6mentaires 


v_y. 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  iegibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche  shall 
contain  the  symbol  —^(meaning  CONTINUED"), 
or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"),  whichever 
applies. 

The  original  copy  was  borrowed  from,  and 
filmed  with,  the  kind  consent  of  the  following 
institution: 

National  Library  of  Canada 

Maps  or  plates  too  large  to  be  entirely  included 
in  one  exposure  are  filmed  beginning  in  the 
upper  iBft  hand  corner,  left  to  right  and  top  to 
bottom,  as  many  frames  as  required.  The 
following  diagrams  illustrate  the  method: 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet6  de  I'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la  der- 
nldre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le  cas: 
le  symbole  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le  symbole 
V  signifie  "FIN". 

L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grSce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de  I'dtablissement  prdteur 
suivant  : 

Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 

Les  cartes  ou  les  planches  trop  grandes  pour  dtre 
reproduites  en  un  seul  cliche  sont  filmdes  d 
partir  de  I'angle  supdrieure  gauche,  de  gauche  i 
droite  et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Le  diagramme  suivant 
iilustre  la  m6thode  : 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

v4 


I 


)(■■ 

■i: 


^^^/ 


BULLETIN   OF  THE   GEOLOGICAL  SOCIETY   OF    AMERICA 

Vol.  7,  pp.  31-66,  PL.  1 


GLACIAL  DEPOSITS  OF  SOUTHWESTERN  ALBERTA   IN  THE 
VICINITY  OF  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS 


BY 


C<»-'^^  y-.  ^Aw,«oN 


WITH  TIIK   COLLABOKATION   OF  K.   G.   MCCONNELL 


ROCHESTER 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  SOCIETY 

",""::      NOVEMBRB,    18ft6 


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1 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  GEOLOGICAL  SOCIETY  OF  AMERICA 
Vol.  7,  pp.  31-66,  PL.  1  November  3o,  1895 


(;r>.vcr.\r.  dki'osits  (W  soi'tiewkstkiix  .\li5Kut.\  rx  the 

VICINITY  OF  TlIK   I!<)(KV  MOUNTAINS 

BY   CKdIiCK    M.    DAWSON,   Willi    THK   Ci  il,r..\  liolJATION    OK    It.    C.    ^r(•('0^•^■|•:Lr. 

{PresnUed  liefurc  I  In.  Snrlrt,/  Aihjh.^  2,S\  IS!).')) 

CONTKNTS 

I'liiri- 

Iiitroilui'tidii ."tl 

I'liysiciil  ('('iitiircs  of  the  rcL'iuii ;!2 

Suniiiiiiry  of  previous  (ihsci'ViUioiis ;)"> 

Scctidiis  in  the  valleys  of  lleliy  anil  ( )iiiiiiaii  liveis ;>U 

Sontliei'ti  jiai't  of  the  roi'ciipiiie  hills 44 

I'laiii  and  valley  west  of  tlie  l'orru|piiie  hills 48 

lli<_'h\voM<i  YWiw  and  vicinity 4!) 

llijrhwood  river  to  C'aljjiary oO 

Sections  in  I'ow  lliver  valley 51 

Snnunarv  and  discussion 58 


I' 


Txi'iioi  i-(rio.\. 

TIio  wostofu  plains  iiml  Iho  IJocky  ^^o^nt;lill  fo^ion  of  ('iinada  uii- 
(loultU'dly  constitute  one  of  tlie  most  iiii|iort:int  lieiils  of  investiiiatiou  in 
connection  witli  the  glacial  ]ierio(l  in  North  .America.  'I'he  area  tliere 
cliaracttirized  Ity  <^Iaci.il  deposits  is  an  enormous  one,  hut  the  facts  de- 
rived from  it  liave  so  far  lieen  accorded  comparatively  littie  weight  in  the 
construction  of  iiypotliescs  i'or  the  continent.  Of  these  liypotlieses  those 
in  liest  standiuL!;  have  grown  u[)  ehielly  during  the  detailed  study  of  the 
southern  portion  of  the  glaciated  region  of  the  east.  Distance,  and  a 
general  unfamiliarity  with  the  somewhat  comple.v  physical  features  of 
this  western  region,  have  undoul)tedly  prevented  a  ready  ap[)reciation  of 
its  plienoinena,  hut  tliese  also  must  in  the  end  he;  fully  reckoned  with 
hefore  .satisfactory  conclusions  of  a  general  kind  can  he  delinitely  reached. 
In  former  papers''-  tlu^  writer  has  endeavored  to  eomhine  the  observa- 
tions made  hy  himself  and  others  in  the  ('ordillc'ra  and  adjacent  parts  of 
the  tireat  i)lains  in  a  common  scheme,  although  one  admittedly  of  a  cliar- 


*Am.  OooloijiHt,  Sept.,  I8II11,  p.  !."):!.     On   tlic   l'liysiogriiplii(!iil  (fi'ology  oC  l\w    Kocky  iMoiliitiiiil 
ivgiDii  ill  CiiiiM<lii.    Trans.  Roy.  Soi'.  Can.,  vol.  viii,  soi;.  4,  18!)(i,  p.  4. 

V— Bui,i,.  Geoi,.  Sue.  Am.,  Vui    7,  ISU.i.  (31) 


■3^•,1 


32    (i.  >r.  DAWSON — fir,A('rAL  dkposits  or  soi'tiiwicsikkn  aliikuta. 


iietor  entirely  tentative.  In  the  folloAvin^'  notes  his  imriiuse  is  merely 
to  iiniplily  previous  ohserviitions  on  a  partieularly  interesting'  iiarfol' tiiis 
western  region  hy  the  addition  of  nc^w  i'aets,  ^dven,  as  far  as  jtossihle* 
apait  I'roni  any  theoretical  considerations  whatever,  ^n  the  concluding 
panes,  however,  an  attein]>t  is  made  to  indicate  the  more  ol)vious  deduc- 
tions which  a[tpearto  tlow  directly  from  the  examination  of  the  particular 
district  in  (piestion. 

in  a  report  l)y  tin;  writer  on  the  southern  portion  of  tiie  district  of 
.Mherta,-'-  th(!  principal  facts  then  ascertained  of  the  ''su{)erlicial  'jeoloiiy  " 
are  uiven,  l)ut  the  work  upon  which  that  report  was  haseil  was  directed 
chielly  to  the  "solid  ifcoloiry  "  of  the  country,  and  details  respectinii'  the 
superlicial  ,!i;eoloij;y  were  as  far  as  possihle  eliminated  in  the  interests  of 
hrevity.  Sinc^o  the  puMicativin  of  that  report  j^reat  advances  iiave  l)een 
made  in  our  Unowleili^e  of  the  j^dacial  phenomena  of  tlie  northern  p;irt 
of  the  continent,  some  of  which  seemed  to  render  the  rejiion  particularly 
referred  to  in  this  ]»aper  one  of  especial  importance  as  the  meetiiii;'  place 
of  the  deposits  (wlu^ther  inunediately  or  proximately  deriveil)  of  tiie 
Cordilleran  and  Laurentide  ice-sheets.  Thus  it  hecame  desiralile  that 
an  attempt  should  he  made  to  further  investijj;ate  this  rej^ion  and  to  t(>st 
the  [)revious  ohservutions  ami  eonclusious.  With  this  oi>ject  in  view,  a, 
niuple  of  weeks  in  the  early  part  of  the  summer  of  ISDI  were  devoted 
chielly  to  a  critical  examination  of  the  sui)erlicial  de|)osits  of  that  part 
of  southwestern  Alherta  adjacent  to  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Rocky 
mountains.  The  writer  was  accompanied  hy  Mr  11.  (!.  McC'onnell.  wl;o 
had  previously  acted  as  his  assistant  in  the  same  Held,  and,  while  lie  as- 
sumes the  responsihility  for  the  statements  made  in  the  sei[UeI,  those 
ohservations  made  hy  Mr  >rc("otniell  will  he  ffiven  under  his  own  name 
and  in  his  own  words,  lie  would  further  take  this  opportunity  of  ac- 
knowled;j;inif  the  value  of  Mr  McConnell's  eoiiperatioii.  iiud  of  statin;:'  tliat 
in  rcL^ard  to  the  ohservations  of  fact,  at  least,  there  is  comi)lete  unanimity 
between  himself  and  that  gentleman. 

Physical  Fkaturks  ok  nri:  Ivi'.dio.v. 

The  region  treated  of  may  he  described  as  extending  from  the  int(ir- 
national  boundary  northward  to  How  river,  or  in  latitude  from  -ll>°  to 
51°  21)'.  The  eastern  edge  of  the  II. )cky  mountains  proi)er  (F^aramide 
range)  is  detineil  by  the  line  separ.aing  the  Paleozoic  rocks  from  those 
of  the  Cretaceous  and  Fiaramie,  and,  although  this  line  is  not  a  pcri'ectly 
definite  one,  it  corresponds  closelj'  with  the  orographic  features,  and  the 
eastern  front  of  tlie  mountains  in  often  particularly  abrupt  and  striking. 
The  want  of  deiiniteness  referred  to  arises  from  the  fact  that  embayments 

*  lti'|jui-t  oil  tlio  (iooloj^y  of  til''  How  iUiil  Uully  Uivoi's  rosioii.     (Jool.  Siii-Vfy  ol' (':iii;iila,  I.SSJ-'.SI. 


■■ 


wmm 


I'lIVSK'AL    FKATUKKS   OK   TlIK    ilK(iIOX. 


:um\  infolds  of  Crotaoeous  rock.s  occnv  in  thin  part  of  tlio  niouiJains,  wliilc 
ill  least  ono  isolateil  area  of  I'aleozoic;  rocks  is  found  to  tiic  oast  of  tlie 
main  mar-fin  of  tlie  ranjj;c.  lioth  tho  mountains  and  tlio  adjacont  foot- 
hills hiivu  I'oen  sulijootod  to  similar  ])arallt'l  foldinjf  and  disturl)ant;o  at 
the  samo  |)ost-('r('taci;ous  oroironic  jteriod.* 


Scale 


%0  flO  10  M  «0  100 


^  Milei. 


Kic;i;ric  i.—S<iiillnci-sl,-i  h  I'ail  of  thf  Diihict  of  Albi-ila. 

The  foothill  holt  varios  in  width  from  10  or  12  miles  in  its  southern 
[)art  to  al)out  2i)  miles  at  tho  north,  in  the  vicinity  of  JJow  river.  Funda- 
mentally, the  foothills  represent  a  bordering  zone  of  folded  and  con- 
torted (Cretaceous  rocks,  reduced  by  denudation  to  series  of  more  or  less 
nearly  parallel  ridges  and  valleys.  The  rivers  and  larger  streams  from 
the  mountains  generally  cut  across  nearly  at  right  angles  in  Avide  and 
relatively  low  transverse  valleys,  while  the  higher  ridges  and  hills  occa- 
sionally surpass  5,000  feet  in  elevation. 


*  l-'oi-  soin.)  notes  on  tliis  aiul  on  tlio  Pliooeno  liistory  ol"  tliu  region,  seu  Am.  Jour.  Scl.,  June,  ls'J5, 
p.  •Kill. 


I 


ni      <i.  M.  DAWSON — lil,A<'lAl,   |ii:i'O.S|  I'S  ui'  sor  III  WKS  n:i!N   AI,l!i;i!TA. 


I 


Oil  tlio  fint  tlu!  Itouiidiirv  III'  tlio  ludlhills  |ir(i|i('r  coiucidos  with  tluit 
of  till!  Hexed  stnitii.  iiiid  is  iieiir! y  ;ilw:iys  (|uite  delinite.  tlie  eorrii^atiniis 
eoiisiii^  ;\l)ni|)liy  and  heiiiL!;  siieeeeiled  liy  a  \\  .c.  low  ^yiieline.  wliieli  is 
OollliiUliMis  between  the  latitudes  alinvr  rd'crnMl  to.  and  is  oeellpiecj  1)\' 
the  reiuiiants  of  a  loiiu'  elevated  plateau — that  of  the  i'oreii|>iiie  hills. 
This  [ilateau  is  tlu'ouuhout  eoin|>oscd  eliielly  of  sandstones  of  rpiter 
Larauiit!  a;;o.  Imt  the  l'oreU|iine  hills  |iro|ier  extend  only  from  Oldnian 
river  northward  to  llipliwood  river,  a  length  of  ainnit  I')"  miles.  v,ith  an 
iivoraire  width  of  some  JK  miles.  Further  north  they  are  re[)ros(!nt(.'d  hy 
II  series  of  detached,  lower  plateau  areas.  whi<'l;  eontiiuu!  to  horder  tiio 
foothills  on  the  east,  while  to  the  south  of  the  Oldman  the  same  synelino 
is  also  occupied  Ity  plateau-.  Imt  still  less  prominent  and  lower.  Of  the 
I'oreupiut!  hills  proper,  the  hinhest  part  extends  northward  from  the  Old- 
man  forahout  -10  miles,  and  lusre  a  I't'W  points  readi  .").;!(»(•  to  o.lOOor  eV(;u 
5,000  feet,  while  consideraMe  areas  of  ridj^es  and  hrokeii  plateau  exceed 
4,500  foet. 

From  tho  southern  eiul  of  this  hi!;h  rei:ion.  overlookiiijj;  Oldman  valley, 
the  view  is  open  to  the  hase  of  tiie  Uocdcv  mountains,  ii  >  eom[)aral)lo 
elovations  of  any  extent  existinii;  in  this  part  of  the  foothills.  In  the  arc 
from  west  to  southwest  the  mountains  are  distinct  from  20  to  25  miles, 
but  from  the  last  bearing-,  around  to  south,  the  line  of  the  mountains 
recedes  rapiiUy.  bein^'  more  than  10  miles  distant  where  it  crosses  tlie 
forty-ninth  parallel.  From  south  to  southeast  the  lower  eontinuinu'  phi- 
teaus  already  mentioned  ai'e  overlooked,  liut  from  southeast  around  to 
north  the  outlook  is  acM'oss  the  seadike  expanse  of  the  (ireat  plains,  of 
which  the  rare,  low,  plateau-like  elevations  are  scarcely  distinguishable. 

.V  profile  drawn  across  any  [lart  of  tlu;  country  above  described  would 
show  on  the  West  tin;  rui^Lied  I'ront  of  tlu'  mountains  (/.OOO  feet  or  more), 
next  the  much  lower  but  irrciulai-  foothills,  then  a  well  marked  depres- 
sion separating:;  these  from  the  Ponaipine  hills,  then  the  plateau  of  the 
Porcupiiu!  hills,  and  lastly  the  Ioiil;;  (Eastward  or  northeastward  slope  of 
the  (innit  plains;  but  a  proHle  traci'd  alon^r  the  valley  of  any  one  of  the 
lar<i;or  streams,  and  thus  followiiiL!;  the  actual  ilraiuaiie  level  of  the  coun- 
try, would  sho\V  a  nearly  uniform  descent  from  tlie  base  of  the  moun- 
tains, only  slijfhtly  increas(>d  in  slope  whili!  crossiiiL;-  the  foothill  belt. 
These  streams  leavi;  the  mountains  at  an  averaiii!  elevation  of  ai)out  4,850 
feet.  Alonn  the  eastern  ediie  of  the  l\)rcupiiie  syndine  the  plains  liave 
a  nearly  uniform  liei;j,lit  of  aliout  .">,-")00  feet,  with  which  the  ireneral  level 
of  the  rivers  may  be  considered  as  practically  coincident,  althouii'h  these 
often  occupy  postu;lac'a.l  valleys  of  from  I  Oil  to  200  feet  in  depth  below 
the  adjacent  plain  ;  thence  to  the  northeastwanl  the  surface  of  the  plain 
(with  its  rivers)  gradually  desceuils  some  1,000  feet  in  a  distance  of  about 
J  20  miles. 


I'llYSKAl,    I'lCAirUKS    dl'     IIIK    KKCilON. 


35 


'riif  two  iiKist  notiililc  luTiiks  ill  [hv.  coiitimiity  of  the  lootliill  ht'ltuiid 
the  l'orcii|iiiic  Hills  plati'uii  urc  tliosc  of  tlut  lioAV  viillcyiind  tin-  valley 
occii|)i(;(|  liy  the  Oldinau  aiid  its  triWiitarics.  Tiic  latter  especially,  wiiicli 
is  not  merely  a  wide  river  valley,  luit  occurs  in  eonjunction  with  the 
lireakiiii;  oil'  to  the  south  of  the  highlands  of  tlu;  Porcupine;  hills,  is  an 
important  and  wide  openinu'  in  tli(>  approaches  to  the  mountains,  and 
may  he  reuarded  as  an  irre,ij:ular  southwestern  emliaynu;nt  of  the  plains, 
in  which  Laurentian  erratics  had  already  been  found  at  an  elevation  of 
.'),'J,S()  I'rci  ;il)ove  sealevel  and  upon  the  very  marjrin  of  the  mountains 
themselves.  It  was  thei'cfore  chieily  in  this  region  and  in  that  of  the 
liow  valley,  taken  in  conjunction  with  (he  elevated  tracts  in  their  vicin- 
ity, that  further  information  res|)ectin,<r  tlie  conditions  of  ^daeiation  and 
the  character  of  the  western  edjr(.'  of  the  [>aurentian  drift  seemed  likely 
to  l)e  ohtained.  'i'he  southern  hiuli  portion  of  the  Porcupine  hills  in  i)ar- 
tieular.  it  appeared,  mi^lit  he  of  peculiar  importance  in  relation  to  such 
(juestions.  for  hert;  it  was  prohal)l(!  that  either  moraines  or  terraces  miLdit 
characterize  the  farthest  unci  highest  limits  of  the  drift  of  eastern  uri<dn. 


helt. 


SlMMAIIV   OK    ritKVIofs   OnsKKVATIONS. 

Ri'fore  stating  the  results  of  the  late  investigation  it  will,  liowover,  l)c 
useful  to  give,  in  the  form  of  a  sunnnary,  the  facts  connected  with  the 
superlicial  deposits  previously  recorde<l  in  the  n^port  of  lSS-_>-"S4. 

In  the  region  of  the  (Jreat  plains  o!' southern  Alherta,  to  the  east  of  th.e 
Porcupine  hills  and  their  representatives,  an  api)roxiinate  estimate  of  the 
drift  deposits  as  a  whole  makes  these  to  average  ahout  100  feet  in  thick- 
ness. In  a  few  places  on  the  line  of  section  afforded  hy  the  P>eliy  river 
all  the  recognized  memhers  of  thest;  deposits  are  together  present,  hut  in 
others  oidy  two  or  three  of  them  are  seen  at  a  single  locality.  A  com- 
plete section  shows  in  descending  order  the  following  succession  : 

1.  Stratificil  siiiids,  gravels  or  .-^ilts. 

'2.  rpiicr  houlder-clay. 

li.  Stralilicil  iiiteivlMcial  (Icposits,  i^oiiiMinu's  incliidinj;  li<.qiite. 

4.  I.nwcr  hidililci-clay. 

").  (iiiart/itc  shiii-k-,  somctiiiics  with  strat^licd  sands  and  silts. 

Tiie  a!)solute  and  relative  thickness  of  each  of  these  depo.sits  varies 
much,  and  along  Jiow  river,  somewhat  farther  to  tlie  north,  the  inter- 
glacial  heils  were  not  noted,  and  no  line;  of  se[)aration  as  hetween  an  upi)er 
and  lower  boulder-elay  was  in  C(jnse(iuence  tletermined.='=     The  under- 


*This  m;iy,  hou-i'v.T,  ill  piirt  irs.ill  IVoin  llie  Hirt  that  the  importaiioo  of  such  a  sopanition  was 
not  ivco-liiziMl  ,.t  the  tiiiio  these  seotions  were  examine.l,  hut  it  is  eertaii.  that  there  is  liere  iw 
siwh  stnUiiiK  plane  of  division  as  on  Helly  rivei-.  Still  further  north,  on  Kosehu.l  ereek  Mr  J  H. 
■lyrrell  a.,'ain  IV.nn.l  two  l>o„hler-elays  separate,!  hy  a  thin  layer  of  lignite.  Ueol.  Survey  of  Canada- 
vol.  11,  new  series,  p.  HJ  E. 


I 


m 


'}0 

,;.t 


i 


s 


no      (i.  Nt.  HAWSON' — (il.AclAI.  I)KI'<»SI1'.S  oK  SOfl'll  \VKSli:i!  \    A  t.liKiri' A. 

Iviiitr  "  iiuiirt/.itr  sliinulc."  siil)S(>(|Ui'ii(ly  iiaiiicil  liv  Mr  McCninicll  tlic 
'■  SiisUiUclicWiin  fiTiivi'ls,"  •■  \va-<.  liDWrvtT.  scfii  ill  a  iiiiiiilMT  nf  idaccs 
aloiiir  tlu(  l>i)\v.  the  (jviilcucr  licrc.  us  elsfwluiic.  liciiii;'  siicli  as  to  slmw 
that  this  (h'|K)sit,  aitiiinmii  wich'sjiroad,  is  j^cMicraliy  characteristic  of  tho 
relatively  lower  tracts  of  the  plains. 

it  is  thus  not  often  possible  to  (leterniiiie,  whero  liouhh'r-clay  is  met 
with  in  isolated  exposures,  whether  the  lower  or  upper  i)ouliler-clay  is 
representeil,  hut  it  is  prol)alile  that  the  upper  or  newest  houlder-clay  is 
that  Liciierally  >e('ii  in  all  the  more  superficial  excavations. 

"  ( >\('i'lyiii'_'  tlu'  liiiiililci'-rl.iy  ai'c  \viili'--iii'('iiil  stratilieil  (lc|KisitH,  the  ilistrihuticm 
of  wliii'h  ii-'sisls  iiiati'iialfv  in  u'lviiii;'  uiiifoiiiiily  to  tlii^  tracts  of  level  i>laiii.  il  is, 
imlt'eil,  (|iiite  e\('e|iti')aal  tu  liiiil  tlie  siirf.ici- soil  cDiisisliiiL;  nt' lioul(ier-eliiy  ilisinle- 
>;ratecl  in  place,  and  tliis  cH'cnrs  only  on  the  slopes  of  |)l:iteans,  or  in  hollows  forniecl 
by  demiilatioii.  That  the  lie<ls  ovci'lyiiii,' the  lioiililer-elay  have  not  been  merely 
fonned  hy  its  n'anaiiL:eiuent  in  water  witlniut  the  aiMilioii  of  new  ni;iterial,  is  iii- 
(licate(l  hy  tlie  i'art  that  ill  many  place-:  erratics  much  larircr  than  those  characler- 
iziiis:  tile  lioiililer-cliiy  of  the  locality  are  found  strt'«ii  ovta'  the  surface  of  the 
comitry.t  'I'he  lieiN  uljsi'ived  in  river  sections  and  I'lscwhcrc  to  overlie  the  hoiilder- 
clay  are  i.'enerany  irravels  or  saiuls  helow  and  sandy  or  clayey  loams  aliove.  The 
latt(a'  form  the  snhsoil  over  most  of  the  rc^'ion,  and  are  generally  rather  pale 
brownish-  or  yellow  isli-u'ray  in  color."' 

Further  stinly  has  served  to  verify  and  in  some  directions  to  amplify 
th(!  .stateuKMits  summarized  in  the  foreifoiiijj;  paragraphs. 

(hi  the  subject  of  terraces  and  waterdeveled  trai'ts  it  is  sail'  in  the 
same  report : 

"Terraces  are  prominent  featnres  in  some  parts  of  the  ri\er  cys  in  this  dis- 
trii'l,  but  are  i^cnerally  clearly  due  lo  the  action  of  the  river  itself  at  a  foriiu'r 
lieriod.  The  evteiisive  tracts  of  almost  perfectly  level  prai  ie  which  occur,  all'onl 
eviileiice  of  water  action  of  some  duration  and  may  be  rcga'ded  as  wide  terraces." 

Tiie  eouditions  of  t'  e(lrift  deposits  in  the  region  of  the  Porcupine  1 1  ills 
were  not  fully  examiiieil  at  this  tiiii"  and  it  is  merely  stated  in  the  re[)<)rt 
that— 

"The  eastern  face  i)f  the  I'orcnpine  hills  appears  from  a  distaiu'c  to  be  very  iMs- 
tinctly  terraceil,  but  lliis  aspect  was  Ibuml  to  he  iliie  to  llu'  oiUcroi>  of  the  nearly 
iioi  i/.ontal  sandstone  beds." 

Furtlicrand  more  extended  investiLration  in  IS'dl  shows  that  while  tho 
existence  of  these  sandstone  outcrops  has  contributed  to  the  form  as- 
sumed by  the  l'orcu|)ine  hills,  true  water-formed  terraces  also  exist  and 
are  actually  found  to  extend  tu  very  ^ivat  elevations,  as  more  fully  noticed 
ill  the  seipiel. 

llospectiiii;'  the  u'eiieral  asjieet  of  the  drift  deiio.sits  in  the  foothill  re- 

tOr  ".Soiilli  Si»kiitclii'w.iii  xiMvi'Is."     Ann.  Hep.  (ii'oi.  Survey  of  (';iimi1;i,  vol.  i,  new  sei'ic^s,  p.  7il  I'. 
ICoinpiire  McL'onnoll.    Op.  eit.,  p.  74  (J. 


Al.liKlsr.V. 


i;Ksrr,Ts  oi'  i'i!i:vi(>i  s  in\i:siI(;atI(>ss. 


•  w 


'Coniicll   the 

IT    of    |tIll('('S 

I  MS  til  slmw 
■ristic  III'  IIk; 

I'-rliiy  is  iiKit 
iililtT-clay  is 
iiiiliT-rliiy  is 

r  ilislriliiilioii 

pliiiii.      It  is, 

i-flay  (lisiiiti'- 

iIIdws  li)i-iiit'(l 

lici'ii  iiii'ii'ly 

iiiti'iiiil,  is  iii- 

iisi'  rluii'iii'tcr- 

'iirl'iu'i'  111'  tin* 

!■  till'  iiiiulilcr- 

iiliiivi'.     Till' 

V   riitlHT  |i;ili' 

■<  (ii  Miuiilily 
siiii'    in  the 

ill  iliis  ilis- 

at  !i  luriiKT 

iii'i'iir,  a  Hun  I 

lie  tt'fi'ai'cs.'' 

:i|iin('  Hills 
1  tiie  I'rport 

')i'  very  ilis- 
if  the  nearly 

t  wliik'  tlio 
.('■  Ion II  iis- 

r\ist    !Uul 
liy  iioticod 

loot li ill  ru- 

sL'i'ius,  |).  70  V. 


</u)\\  lii'twiTll  tiir  rinvu|iini'  hills  iiiul  the  liMse  of  the  liiouiitilius,  littl(> 
(•liiiiiL-i'  ciiii  liu  luuilf  ill  the  following,'  sliitemeiit  'X^ww  in  tlm  report  (tf 
iss-J.'sh 

" 'reiraees  in  tile  entiaiii'e  I.  -iiiiilli  KiMitailie  pass,  at  a  liei-lil  nf  I.K'O  feet, 

lia\e  ali'i  Illy  lieeij  ijesriilieil  ,.,  my  i'liiiinlary  ( 'uiiiiiiis-^idii  l;e|Miit  I'lsT'n.  in  tlie 
valleys  (if  Mill  ami  I'inelier  ereeks.  aii<l  tliusr  uf  tlir  firks  <<(  the  ( )liliiian,  east  nf 
the  artiial  hase  i if  the  iiiniinlaiiis,  wide  tenaees  ainl  (erraee-llals  are  fuuiiil,  stretrli- 
iiii:  'lilt  fiiiiii  the  lid'.'es  uf  the  (unthills,  ami  luiiiiiiiLT  ii|i  tiie  \alleys  nf  the  vaiimis 
streams.  Aetiial  jiiavelly  lieaehes  neeasinnally  iiiarU  the  jiiiii'linii  uf  the  tenaees 
w  itli  the  1)(  imliiiir  sliipfs,  ami  thev  have  iin  iiiiineilimi  w  ilh  the  present  si  reams, 
whiehciil  thiiiiiirh  tlieiii.  The  level  varies  in  iliU'ereiit  Inealities.  hut  the  liii.'hest 
iihsei'Veil  as  well  eliaraeteii/cil  attaiiisan  elevation  nf  iihurl  l.'.MKI  feet.  In  the  l>n\v 
valley  near  Mnrley,  ami  theiieetn  the  font  nf  the  imiiinlains,  similar  terraces  arc 
fniiinl,  w  hieh  are  qiiile  imU'peiiileiit  uf  the  niuilern  river ;  ami  in  I  he  w  iile  \  alley  nf 
the  Kananuskis  pass  a  series  nf  terraees  wiis  seen  fmm  a  ilisianee  which  iiiiist  rise 
In  an  elevatiun  nfat  least  4,")00  feet." 

It  is  iiiiportiuit  to  noti!  that  in  nil  this  reunoii  there  ean  he  no  douht  ns 
to  the  ori.^in  of  the  crystalline  erratics  attrilnited  to  the  Latireiuian  pta- 
leaii  of  the  east.  Neither  llic  ( 'retaceoiis  nor  liiiraniie  rocks  of  the  plains 
nor  the  I'aleo/.oic  strata  of  the  inoiintains  yield  any  such  material,  while 
till,' eastern  derivation  of  the  i^ranitie  and  jj;iieissic  drift  is  further  ovidencod 
liy  its  eomiected  sprt^ad  across  the  plaiiisi  to  the  rei;ion  of  its  supply. 
Thus  the  western  limit  of  such  eharacteristie  erraties  elearl;,  imlieates 
the  e.xteiit  of  the  (Irift  from  the  liaureiitian  plateau.  In  reuard  to  this 
western  limit,  it  then  was  ohsi'rved  that  it  praetieally  reaches  the  liase  of 
the  lioeky  mountains  near  the  forty-ninth  parallel,  where  Lanreiitiaii 
honlders  were  found  at  a  height  of  4,2ni)  feet.  Some  •'!(>  miles  to  the 
northw(!st  and  within  a  few  miles  of  the  mountains  similar  erraties  were 
found  at  the  mill  on  Mill  ereok  (.'vS'H)  feet),  and  om^  was  seen  near  (iar- 
nelt's  raiu'h  (h2(>()  feet).     It  was  added  : 

"  I  iliil  nut,  huwevi'r,  uhserve  any  l.aiiri'iitian  drift  un  the  Nurtli  furk  uf  the  ( >lil. 
man,  and  it  is  iiruhahle  that  it  is  ahseiit  ur  nearly  sn  in  the  di.-^triet  sheltered  hy 
the  iij.'lier  parts  uf  the  I'nrciiplne  hills.  On  the  Hnw  river  no  Laiiiviitian  ur 
irnrnnii'ii  erratics  were  seen  west  nf  ('al,!.;ary,  iiml  even  after  their  lirst  apiiearanco 
they  wei'i'  very  seaive  for  woine  distanco"  (to  the  eastward).  The  elevatiun  uf  the 
linw  at  CUu'ary  is  .'!,:)ll,">.()  feet,*  and  in  euiiipariiiir  this  with  that  nf  the  more 
sniithern  Inealities  thi- eunelnsinn  was  drawn  that  "the  western  limit  nf  ilii'  Lau- 
riMitian  drift  eaiiiiut  onnfunn  strictly  to  any  euntmir  line  nf  the  present  sarfaee  uf 
the  eniintry." 

The  later  investigations  tend  somewhat  to  modify  the  aliovi;  .stato- 
meiits  in  ,showin<f  that   Laurentian  drift  does  oeeur  in  a  scaut}'^  and 


fl'liiH  :iiiil  soiiK,  otliiti-  I'Ic'vatioiis  givon  lioro  iiro  (Ioi'IvimI  from  tlii'  rosiilts  of  tlii>  irrli^iitioii  .«iir- 
vcy  ov  from  iMilw;iy  siirvi'V.s.  Most  of  tlii<  hoinlits  are  Iosh  prcc-  c,  ilopi'iicliiin  on  luiromotrlo  ob- 
servations iviliii'tiii  liy  <'oiiiparisoii  with  ('ulnnry.  All  miiy,  liowi-vor,  Im  iiiTcptiMl  within  ii::iximiMU 
limits  of  orror  ( ')  of  il  feet,  ami  are  siitlioiuntly  oxiict  for  all  piirposos  of  tho  presoiit  paper. 


I'S     (i.  M.  ii,\\v>;<»\    -(ii,\<'i\r,  Khii'DSiiN  oi' siir  iii\vi;si'i:i;n  a  (.r.i:,;'i' a. 


M|nii'!nlic  iii.'iiiiicr  lirliiml  tlir  l'iiii'ii|iiiic'  liilh.  :iiii|  :i|-m  liv  IIk-  ilisrovi  r\' 
of  sikIi  rrr;it.ics  on  liills  of  ■Joiiir  liciL'lir  ;ilio\('  I, lie  Ito.v  rivrr  al.  ( 'm,I;j;ii'v, 
alt.lioiijrii  llial  place  slill  rriiiaiiis  llic  wcilni'ii  liiiiil.  in  so  far  as  t.lic  valley 

of   llie    l')0\V    is  eollceniiil. 

Tlie  e|e\alions  JihI   liiellliolieil   Were   llol ,  I  n  i  \ve\ir,  I  he  I  li'.' Iie^l    a  I    W  llii'll 
iialireliliail  elTalii'S   were  IiiIIIkI    |)re\iolI.--:   In  I  lie   jilllilieal  ion   of  I  he   |i'|io|-|, 

or  j.s.s'j-'sj,  I 


or 


III    ISS:!  sevi'ial    il|i|ill>il;ilili'     l,:iill'i'lil  l.'ill 


lllclel-,  li-|i|e--iM|(  ia'.r  llll'e  VilllclleM 
III'  ;.'r:lllil  ie  a  1 1' I  u'liei--^ii'  Inck^,  were  I'oiliiil  uImuI  L.'U  mill-  ll'il'l  li  iif  I  In-  I'miI  \  hiiil  h 
liarailel,  al  an  i-le\;|linn  nl'  .i,L'.Si)  leel." 

'riiese    liollldei'S    oeelir    slrai|(|ei|     l||tOII    a,    lllol'aillie    lii|"e,  line    In    Ineal 

•.Hafiers  of  llie  ailjaeeiil,  iiioiiii(aiii-j.  On  a  |ilaleaii  to  llie  .-Diilh  ol  llie 
l'oi'eil|iiiie  hills    l/aiireiilian  sIoium  wen-   roiiinl,  Ihoipjli  iiol.  alMiinlanl  I  y, 

al    a,  liei'..'hl    ol'     l,.'!'.lll  I'eel,  while   -iliiilaf  erialie-!  were  iiliser\ei|    to   lie    seal- 

l,(;rei|  o\-ei'  I. he  hiuji  eoiinlry  near  M  ill<  river  at  a  ili-laiieeol'  rrmii  'HMo  10 
Miil(!S  iVoMi  ll'e  Mioiinlains  ami  ai  an  elevalimi  of  I,'-!' 10  leel.  'The  nlner- 
vatjons  since  niaile  in  llie  rori'ii|iine  hilh  enahle  emi-iileraMe  aihlilinns 
lo  he  liia,ile  l,o  oin'  |ire\-ioUS  Is  lio  wiei  I  je  ol'  llie   Ilia  \i  III  n  III   heijih  I.  a  1 1  a  i  mi  I 

hy  siieh  eastern  ilril'l  near  I  hi'  Itocky  nionnlains. 

Digress  in;;  I'oi'  a.  mom  en  I,  lo  places  I'aillier  from  I  he  easlern  ha-e  of  I  he 

nionnlains,  il,  will  he  ll-eri||    lo  rememher  Ihal    on   W'e-I    hlllle  ol'lhe  Sweel, 

(Irass  hills,  IM)  miles  ea-t,  of  Ihe  monnlain-.'    Lanreiilian  IratrmisiH  were 

liHiml   lo  a,  hei^hl  of   I,!!!)!!  feel,  while  aeeorilinL'  l.o  M  r  Mil  'iiimell   I  he  ilrill 

of  this  origin  limls  ils  limiliii'j;  lieivhl,  !in  Ihe  ( 'y  pi-ess  hilli  'JOl)  mili'S  from 
llie  inoinitains,  at  I,  lOD  I'eel.i  l.oUi  Ihe  plaees  !a-l  meiilioiieil  are  mil, 
far  iVoiii  iJie  I'orly -ninth  parallel  ;  Iml  nineh  I'arlher  lo  Ihe  north,  in  the 
I  la  mi  hills/laliliideol"  'J.V,  loiivil  mle  I  I'.!" 'JO' ),  M  r  .1 .  I'..  Tyrrell  hasroinai 
a,  similar  upper  limit-  I'oi'  Lanrentian  hoiiMer  ■  at  .".,  |00  jeei.  j  'These  olt- 
sers'ations  are  eiteil  here  lor  pnrpo-es  of  eumparison. 

In  the  report  of  I.SS2  'Si  it  was  slated  that  a  similar  limit  oeeiirred  on 
the  Itocky  Spring!  ridi^eol'nori  hern  Montana,  I0  miles  south  of  tJie  lioiind- 
ary  line  and  lil)  miles  I'rom  the  nioun  tains,  at  I,  I OU  I'eel.  I'he  plateau  only 
slij^htly  exceeds  this  height,  and,  while  convinced  ot  the  accuracy  of  Ihe 
ohservat.ion  at  the  time,  its  wide  iliscrepancy  from  other  re-ults  ina\'  per- 
haps he  re;;ardi;d  as  leavinu'  it  opi'U  to  suspicion.  I  lia\e  not  had  an  op- 
portunity since  of  verifyin;;  it. 

Uefon;  dealing;  with  the  facts  ascertained  in  IS',)  |,  i  I  should  he  iioled  that 
Mr  McConnell  had  in  iS',»;i  carelully  e.\a,mined  I  lie  seclions  of  I  he  ;ilacial 
(leposits  alon;f  Kow  ri\'er  hetween  the  mounlaius  ami  '  ileichcn  (  ahout  SO 


♦  I II  I  hiii  iiri'l  iitli'-r  iM.Ht'M,  iiiili"'-^  iillti-j-iVI'^tr  iiii|i'<l,  t|i  •l:ui'<--i  ii  utii  I  Im    iiiwiiiilaiir-  ;ii  -^  hhm  ^iu  <  'I  a  I 
ri^lll  lUI)jrli'M  IVotlt  t  III'  lli':iri-'0    |i:il  t  iiT  Ihi*  li;i.sn  ol'  Uh-  liili^:;)'. 
I  Op.  .-11.,  |>    V.'pC. 
I  .'iiiiilliil  li"i)i)rl,  (iiMil.  Siiivciy  111  C;iimi|n,  vdI.  II  (ii.  s  ),  p    |  l.'i  K. 


i''N'    \m:i:,;ta. 

i'  (lie  ilisc()\(.|v 
ViT  III.  ('.■I,l;.;irv, 
I'  ■•'^  l-lif  \:i.llcv 


•■l;  \\  KI.S     AM.     l;ul   1,1,1,1-  (I, A  VS. 


;:!> 


-'Il<'-i(    .'ll    Wlilcli 
'  "I'  III!'   IC|)nrl, 

■   I  In'  •!•  V  .'If  id  i(.,y 
llii:  ImiI  V   liiijlli 

-Klllli    (,)'    II,,. 
.■|l'lll|c|,ili||\'^ 
■'I    111   1)1'    .sc;il 

iViiiii  ;;()  I,,  Id 

Till'  mIhi'I'- 

il''     .'Mlllilidlis 

.l;,IiI.  .■iM,;iiiic(| 

I  l>;i-c  .,r  II,,. 

ol'lllc!  Surcl, 

K'll  llii'  Wril'l, 

'•  lllilcs   iVillll 

|||''I  lire  iKii, 
i"illi,  in  III,. 

II  li;i  -  rnllMil 

I'llC  iC    (lll- 

''■'•IIITcil  1,11 
Uli'  Imi|||,,|- 
l.ld'.MI  Mlilv 

r.'icy  <>r  III.. 
■s  iii;i.\'  |i('r- 
li:i<l  ,1,11  ((|,- 

iKtl.I'd    (||;|| 

Ik'  ;;i;i<'i;il 
^•|I|■M||,  ,S() 

I    rMiM,liJ,.,|   Ml. 


n.iii  rncr.s,  In 

U  ilicjl 


'nil.'    ...■,slAV;,r.i;,;M,.|||H.n.|;.MiMl  r..;,.,,,,!,,  I.,.!!,,,,.  ||,,|  1 1„.  S;,.l<,|,.|„.,v.,n 
^'"'''•'^''''''•■''■''''^^'■'■■''■'■'■'''''''''"'•-l''^'n.v|.:i-Mnln.,''w..srM 

'■'':,.   ;'-;i'l""-l'N.:.  II.- n.h.n,-.     Tl.i.  ,.l,-,.r\  ;,l,„n  l,;,s  n.,n;,i,„.,h,l.- 

'"'''''"'"■''■' "•»^'M'"-r-:l'.  I„.  u..||,.M;,Mi.. l,:M,.liMnl|.,u'.^'lr.,n.  i( 

l^''^-';  ""■'""""■"""  ""I'  ""•l-'^^'l'--l.v:^ i:u'i/,.,|,||,;,|  ||„.n.;,n.  M.i 

!'--■  Ili:n.  Il,n.,..|i,s|in..|  I.MiiM,.,' ,.|..,v.  in  II,..  n,,i.,n  |,,.n.,,,.;,|..,|  ,,r  ,|,,..,|,|. 

'-'"'•■•w,'sl.'rn"l,„„i,|,.,...h,yl„.,n.  In||„u...|,„l,n,..  I,vtl,:,l   |,n.vio„.iv 

i         ;-'-•;"'••'•  l"W,.,'-'  I.unl.|..r..|:,y.wl,„'l,  i. n,.|,.|n..'llvs..,,:,n„..i| 

i      '•■'''''''■.'■ ''I'l''-'' ■''''■''''''•'■ 'i^'vov,',':, ,.,,,, -,,i,.,,,i,i,.,,,,.| ,, I', I,;.,, ij„,i,.,  ,„ 

\         l';-'-l'.vni.;'ivl:H'inl.i,.,,.,si|..     Tl...  u  .'..|,.n,  I,„mM,',' .-h  v,  ;,s  ils  ,.„,....  im- 
''"'"';;""'""'^""  '■^""■••""^"""•llun,ni.n,„:,i,.n;,|,u|,il,.sii.'l,  >.„,(. .,'i.l 
■-U'.|    ;,.|n.,,':.|.,n..,|,.nv.'.|    In-m  ll„.  \\n,n,|„..  l,;,Hn,  is  ,,r.':-,.„t  in  iM.lh 
', '"■'-       ""^^•■ii"':i.lsi;,l,.,n,.nl    u  ,11  s,.,'v,.  ;,  ^  :,  ,.|„..  |„  „„„  ,.   ,.,'  „„. 

J  '>l.-.'i'\':ili(,ns  siil,sc.)iici.lly  .i..|;i  i  |,.,|, 

,    ';'""'l'"n'n'^.'nlinvll„.   i-nll  s  „r  ,■,.,.,.,„  „|,,,,.,„i„„.  ,,  ,..,„i,.,,  ^^..„ 
>  "'■'"'  l-'',viv.'ii  t..  II,..   -...■Ii.,ii~  r..iin.|    ,,:,   ||,„    l;,.]],.  ,,,„|  ,,|,|, 

fl'<'.^n.'l.',.'..,,ril„.  ,,l:,ins  in  l.h.ir  vi-'inil  v,  .,,,.1  l.,ll,..  ui.l..  I, ,u  •,,,..,, 

'H '"■'■lilH.'.l  l,y  II.,.  Iril.uUn...  „|  !,|„.  ,,|,|,„;,„  ,„  ||„.  ,„.i,,|,|„„.,„„,.|  ,^,.      ;; 

ini.niil.'inis. 

^'■■''''"''^■'   IN   '1111,   \'Ai,i,,.v^  .,|.    (>l,|,^,^^    ,m.    |j,,,,,,v    |;,vi.:„s, 
Alll„.„.|,  inll„.,',.,,.„.|  ,.n,s,s'j    -SI  ll,..,M'.',M','..n,',.,.riu,,lH,„l.|,.r.,-l;,vs 
^^";"","''"''^''"''^''   ■l"l'"-'l  "■- '.ImMu:,!    l;.nhs(n„u    l,..||.l.,'i,|.:.., 

:     ;""' ^' ''''"'"^'■^''■''  "■-^'•'■i"'"''""'i^^i-»m,ti„.-.., I,.,,., ,1,1), „,..., „„„;,„,. 

'  '"'•'""•^^''""^""•l'"""-"ni„.  nv.rv.ll.'y.  n„,|,.|.,|,.,|   .,.,.,,„n  u';,s  n^ 

.;  '■"'■;^;     '"^■""^I'l--.      .^    r:n:M    ..x:,„„n:„,„n  u:,s    ..,.,!,.  ..I'  |  |,is  s....|  i..n 

!  !"   '^•"■■"-'  l'l-'.':il"H.I  l-n,'„,,|,..,„.,.,|,,,|'|,,.||,|,,i,|,...u.i||,  ,|„.n,||,„,, 

;."V'"?";    ""■-^'I'-.V'.niM'   nv,.r;,l    ||,H   ,,l;„'..,s..ul,|,.un   .I...mI;;o.. 

;        '•;•■•  |"|-'|Ih'|. I':., .',...    iM',.n,  ;..m..mii;.,.,  .i,,,,,.  ii„.  „,„,.,.  |,.v,.|  j,  ,„.,.„. 

i  I.H'.l    l..v.|;,,'k   sl,:,|,.H  „ril„.   I'M.,',.,.   i;.n,.:,t„.n  ..f  1 1,,-  (•n.L„.,.,.„s    ,',..iin..' 

i  "'*""   ^'''"■'''  "'""■'    ^'    l-'l'"'I.V  'V.-n    lin..,  ;,,',.  ||„.  S;,.k;,|..|„.u.,„    „,,,,.|,  . ,; 

'      '•;i"Y'>;"'"''-iri;u,ti,;,  11,,,'k r,' i., ,,.  ,.-,i;.,.,.    Ti.,.n|.,:.',',,:„',  ,.r 

!,';'■  ^''"'"•V""'"''"'   "'■'^^"   ''■•■'■i-u"'^"l-.-l  :in,l   l„'.,wni<l.  „,  .'..l,.,' 

;,';''■''"  ^"'"^ 'I"'l'n,.lu;,t,,'u',.,'n,  l.,„  ,.|,..„„,,|  ,„.,'i;.,.tlvn,„n.|,..i 

ll'-yM,,',.  ,.',„.,':,||v   .n':,n.,'.|    in  .   ,,,l,l,..,'  l,n„„ll„.„M   n,„nn.'.r'  ||,hI   is' 
I         .!..(,  in  n.^n hr  l;.y,.,s  .nul.'.l  u.'.:,.,'.iin.  ,,.  .1,,..  ,,„|  ,,,  ^,  ,|,„    ,.|,|,,„^  ^.^,,^;,: 

^         '""-;-  ^''""lii';^. n.l.     Tl,.  i„l..rs|.:.,.,.snn.|ili,.,|  will,  ;.,..,;.,'; nv 

s:m..I,  ;,n.|  ;,  .n„il:„'  n.:,l, .,',:,!  In.n.s  ,.,.,.;,s„.n;,l  .li^,'.„.t,in„.,ns  Imv.ts  ui'.^y 

I  ';"■'""'"•   '"*;'.";  "'''''^'"-^  ""   "'•■   "I'l-''  HTi:,.'..  ..ni...  „.avis.     Tl„. 

j         .t-H'-  .n.  ..h,,.||y  ..|.:n'a,,'l..nsli,:   |;.,..ky  M..„„l.i„  ,,,nu.„i,,.s,  |.,„,  ,  ,.,.,.: 
i         .si.l...';.  ,1..  nun.  ....'  ..r  ,...|.|,|,.s  ..f  li,.,..,,.,,..  In.n.   .1,.  ,s,uu..  ,s.,mv..  ....v  i,.- 

•^'•"I-'I-   -    U'..|i   as    ,.,    r..u'    ..,.,.,n,,.|,.,s   ..r  U.,.    ,„.,„,;,,    ,.„,^,       ^^,.,„,,^^^ 

VI     111.,.,.  <;,:,„„  a,,,:  ,\.,|,,   V.,.,.  7,   IN!.,',. 


nil 


^ 


Kt      (1.  M.  DAWSON — (iLACr.M,  DKI'OSfTS  OT  SomrWKSTKUN   A  l.l'.KUTA. 


M 


II- 


'' <;n^on.st()n(','"  iilmul  which  sonic  remarks  an;  ii.ach'  sulist'i|iii'iitly.  Our 
or  two  |i('hhl('s  of  peculiar  crvstallinc  rocks,  not  Laiireiitiaii.  and  iumIi- 
ahly  t'roiu  iiilrusive  masses  in  tlie  inoiintains.  v  ere  also  lounil. 

The  Saskatchewan  tiravels  are  sharply  cut  oil'  ahove  hy  a  dark  iiouhlcr- 
elay,  the  color  of  which  is  evidi-ntly  du(!  to  the  incorporation  of  a  coiisid- 
erahle  proportion  of  the  material  of  the  I'ierro  shales  and  in  which  rather 
numerous  crum I  )s  of  tlu;  coal  of  the  vicinity  are  contained.  The  iu'^hulcd 
stones  are  varied  in  oriL'in,  emhraein^  ipiartzites  from  th(>  mountains, 
[.aurentian  <,meisses  and  some  limestone  of  mountain  ori;^in.  all  often 
distinctly  striateil  and  ^daeiated.  The  thickness  of  this  houlder-clay  is 
aliout  •")<•  t'ci't. 

Next  in  ascendiuii'  order  is  ..  '.!.•.■•'-•  iiess,  from  2")  to  •IH  feet,  of  pale 
colored  silty  licds,  often  very  linely  stratified  and  in  certain  layers  a<sum- 
in<:  a  "leathery  "  character  and  showing  layers  of  almost  paper-like^  fine- 
ness. Crumlis  of  vii.S.  are  present,  hut  no  litrnito  or  peaty  layer  is  here 
seen,  'i'liis  well  hedd(>d  intercalation  preserves  its  place  and  character 
for  miles  aloiiii'  the  valley  ;;"(1  is  continuous  with  that  previously  de- 
t-'crihed  lower  down  the  river.-^^ 

Overlyiujf  the  last  is  the  ''  upjier"  Itoulder-clay,  yellowish  uray  in  color, 
and  this,  so  far  as  can  he  ascertaini'd,  extends  niNirly  or  ([uite  to  tlii'  top 
of  the  hiink  or  the  Lreneral  level  of  the  adjacent  i>rairii'.  Stones  and 
houlders  are  not  notahly  ahundant  in  it  at  this  place,  hut  those  which 
;»ccur  came  l)oth  from  the  mountains  on  the  west  and  the  Laui'cntian 
[datcau  on  the  east. 

Summarizing'  this  section  and  placinji- it  in  relation  to  others  desci'ilied 
in  the  report  of  ISS'J-'S-I,  we  ohtain  th(>  foUowin.i,'  re|iresentation  of  the 
driftd(;posits  of  this  part  of  the  plains,  the  secttion  on  the  riiiht  hcini:-  that 
farthest  from  the  hase  of  the  mountains: 

<S'((7('///,s  (//(    liilhi   llii'ir. 


.Ni'nr  lA-lliliiiiij(o. 


l)iilt«ui)il  liciiil. 


l)i-il.iiii'i'    rroii\     iiHiiintMiii-*,  I'ld       hist;iivi'    tVcun    iiiiiiitii:iiiis, 
iiiilfs.  mill'.-. 


Woir  i.-l;iiiil. 


mill's 


lli'inlil  111'  l.;i«r  (if  si'riidii,  J.Im.'i       llri^lil  of  Niisc  i>f  siwtioii  (iip-  t    lliMylit  iif  li.'i^io  nf  scrliim   cip- 
fci'i.  incixiiimto),  L',:)i;(ifci't.  |[  proxiinati'),  ^,'.'7ii  IfiM. 


Fn't. 


rpipir  lioiiMiT-.hiy  (iilniiil  i..  1  In 

liit<'r,i;liici;il  ili'|Mi.-i(.-i 

I.owi'r  iMiulilri'-chiy .'i 

S;isl<:iti'ln'W;Ui  nr;iVcN 1 

I'ioi-i-f  ((.-ri'laiTciiis)  ■jIimIi'h..    '■..'i    | 
30(1 


h'vet. 


r<rt. 


(S;iiicls,    ir<iiistiiiir.   c'111-Imiii-  i 

111  aiTDU- liiyiTM :i:(  |'  (Siin.ly  i-hiy,  w  itii  lii;iiiir)...       x 

X'l     1.-. 

(Gnivi'ls,  sMiiil-' mill  flMy)....     -I'l 

(CretiiiM'iiiis  loi'ks) Ill 

i7;i 


*  Uoporl  iif  l'ruj;i'csv,  (ii'ul.  Siirvi'y  nf  Ciin^ulu,  18MJ-'MI,  \k  111  C. 


N   A  I,  I  !i:  I II' A. 


SlUil'ACK    MATKHIAI.S. 


41 


liicntly.      One 

nil.  1111(1     |l!'(lll- 

iiiul. 

(I.irk  Ipduldcr- 
iii  III'  a  cDiisid- 
1  which  rather 

Tlic  ill'  liiilcil 
ic  iiiiiuntains. 
■i.i^iii,  all  often 
louhliT-elay  i.s 

>  feet.  III'  pale 
layeis  a-isuiii- 
a|ier-Uke  (ille- 
layer  is  here 
iml  eiiaraeter 
irevimisly  ih'- 

ui'ay  ill  eiiliir. 

lite  to  tile  top 

Stdiies  and 

thiise  whieii 

e    i,aureiitian 

lers  deserilied 

itatioii  III'  tlie 

t  lieinu'  tliat 


i-i.'iii.i. 


II     iriuliiltMlli-^,   S'l 


■),  ■-','J7ii  l.'cl. 


A'../. 


itii  IJKIlih')...        H 

Mil. I  I'layl,..,      I'l 
■ks) Ill 

nil 


Hel'ore  (■Diitinuiiiii;  the  notes  made  in  the  deeper  river  sections  to  the 
westward  ot'  Lethliridjze,  ii  i'uw  words  may  \h)  devoted  to  tlie  eiiaraeter  of 
the  uerera!  surface  of  the  plain  corresponding  to  the  sections  aliove  cited. 
This  is  well  shown  in  numerous  fresh  euttin^'s  aloiiu;  the  line  of  railway 
hctweeii  hiinniore  (near  .Medicine  Jfat)  and  LethliridLfe.  a  distance  from 
east  to  west  of  101 1  miles.  Whetluir  in  the  mllinii:  prairie  toward  the  east 
or  tiie  nearly  level  prairie  to  the  W(!st,  the  surface  is  almost  uniformly 
coniMosed  of  uray  or  hrownish  i,'ray  silty  or  loamy  material,  of  which 
tlu  (U'pth  may  he  stated  to  vary  from  two  to  live  feet,  altliouudi  cer- 
tainly iri'eater  in  some  places.  On  the  crests  of  knolls  and  riili:cs  and 
in  some  of  the  valleys  which  have  evidently  lieeii  cut  out  liy  postglacial 
Hows  of  water,  this  deposit  has  heen  removed,  leavinu  a  irrayish  Imuliler- 
elay.  which  sometimes  contains  lar>j;e  stones  at  the  surface.  The  stones 
ar(!  <ren(;rally  i-aurentian,  liut  are  si.'ldom  ahundant.  it  miudit  lie  sup- 
])osed  that  the  iirolon^fed  action  of  rains  or  that  even  of  the  winds  would 
in  time  prodiici'  a  surface  deposit  of  this  kind,  liut  much  of  the  plain  is 
so  entirely  Hat  that  such  explanations  appe.ir  improhalile.  .Neith  -rare 
the  proi(!ctinir  riiltres  notahly  liouldery,  as  should  he  the  case  if  much 
denudation  of  their  finer  material  had  occurred,  and  the  circumstances 
favor  a  helief  that  the  silty  deposits  liav(!  heen  laid  down  in  a  liody  of 
rather  shallow  water,  coextensive  with  the  plain  itself,  in  which  some 
slinht  rearraiiii-emeiit  of  the  exjxised  parts  of  the  lioulder-elay  has  taken 
place,  '{'here  is  some  appearance  of  rolled  L^ravelly  deposits  ahout  the 
slopes  of  the  rid'jes.  hut  the  cutting's  are  insuHieieiit  to  show  these  fully. 

Followiiiil  the  axis  of  the  main  depression  already  alluded  to,  no  e\- 
jiosures  have  heen  found  further  to  the  westward  in  which  the  lower  and 
an  iipper  lioulder-clay  an;  clearly  distinnuished.  and  as  the  sections  are 
not  continuous,  it  hecoincs  impo.ssihle  to  decide  in  each  case  which  is 
reiireseiited.  In  an  exposure  nearly  opposite  i!ye  (irass  Hat,  i'2  miles 
west  of  i<etlilirid,<,'e  (")2  miles  from  the  liase  of  the  mountains),  locally 
upturned  f.aramie  hcds  iire  overlain  liy  KMeet  of  stratilied  sand  and  silt, 
followed  liy  'Jil  feet  of  lioulder-clay.  which  ai^ain  is  foUoweil  iiy  \2  I'eet  of 
rolled  irravels.  apparently  replaced  in  a  short  distance  horizontally  hy 
stratilied  sands.  The  whole  sec'tion  is  cappeil  hy  some  feet  of  the  loamy 
siiperlicial  silts  ahovci  descrihed.  The  houlder-clay  t^ven  in  this  section 
includes  a  niimlier  of  diseontiiiuous  layers  of  sand  and  Liravel. 

.Xiiotlu'r  section  of  eonsiderahle  lenj,4li  two  miles  and  a  half  lielow 
Macleod  ( 4o  miles  from  the  hase  of  the  mountains,  eU'vation  '■1,^)21  feet) 
was  carefully  examined  hy  ^^r  .MeConnell,  and  is  descrihed  hy  lum  as 
follows  : 

"  The  lionlder-clay  is  here  4")  feet  in  thickiu^s  from  the  river  level  and 
is  ovi'rlain  liv  20  feet  of  saiuls  and  sills  which  eontain  lavers  of  linely 


'■^ 


42      <i.  M.  DAWSON — (;|,\(|.\|.   Dia-osil's  ol'  sol'l'll  WKSTKIJN   A  I.r.lMITA. 

fDliiitud  Iciitlicrv  clays.  'I'lic  lnwcr  pnft  ol'  tlic  Imulilcr-clay  is  darUcr 
ill  color  tlian  the  upper.  Imt  there  is  no  division  into  upper  and  lower 
iiU!iiil>ers.  as  dark  and  liLilit  layers  alternate  and  cliaii;^u'  in  color  when 
followed  aloiit:;  the  l>a,nk.  Stones  iioth  of  western  and  ensturn  ori^iin 
occur  tlirouuhout,  the  I'oriner  ]ii'epoiideratinu  toward  the  hottoin  and  the 
latter  toward  the  top,  Tiie  mass  of  tlu'  houlder-elay  is  in  some  places 
hard  and  clayey,  in  others  soft  and  ^andy.  that  of  the  last  meiitioiieil 
character  passing'  occasionally  into  layers  of  sand  and  u'ravel." 

The  s'  'tilled  sands,  silts  and  leathery  clays  or  shales  of  tlu'  ahove 
section  i  .ucli  reseinlile  the  iiuer-lacial  IkmIs  of  [.ethliridLic.  hut,  as  already 
stated,  there  is  here  no  means  of  certainly  identifyiiiLr  the  houlder-clay- 

Farther  up  aloiiu'  Oldmaii  river,  at  the  mouth  ol"  iJeaver  creek  ("JS  niiles 
from  tlie  mountains,  elevation  al>out  •'!.'J(iO  fect^.  a  liank  examined  hy 
.Mr  .McConuell  shows,  ahove  the  river  level,  "  ">il  i.ct  (  f  compact  houliler- 
olay  overlain  hy  (')  feet  of  stratiiied  qlts  and  sands.  There  is  here  a  marked 
diminution  in  the  proportion  of  eastern  drift  as  eiimpared  with  the  last 
section,  a  rouiili  estimate  making'  it  aliout  two  per  cent  of  the  whole."' 

In  the  siunc  vicinity,  on  Olcson  creek,  ahout  ino  feet  ahove  the  river 
and  to  th<'  north  of  it.  a  moderately  indurated  pale  drah  silty  or  sandy 
lioulder-clay  was  fouml  lioldiiej;  <"oni[iar;itively  few  stones,  hut  sonu.' of 
them  distinctly  glaciated. 

Still  further  to  tlie  westward,  at  the  conlUience  of  the  North  and  Middhf 
forks  of  the  ( tldman  (ahoUt  I'l  miles  from  the  line  of  tin;  hase  of  the 
nio  tains,  elevation  approximately  '■'>.()')0  feet  \  a  iiood  section  was  t"ouiid, 
which  may  Ite  set  out  as  follows  in  di-cen<lin;r  order: 

1.  Well  I'dllcd  and  ruimilcil  Liravels,  with  siniie  stoiiri^  a>  iiaicli  as  S  ur  l(t  iiiclics 

ill  (lianicter,  apiiarciilly  all  uf  lldd^y  iiiinnilain  uriiziii 10 

2.  (iiHMl  ty|>ical  linulder-clay,  iiinilcrately  iinlnratc'l ;   matrix   Itdw  iiisli  yellow 

and  earthy,  cniilainiiiL'  Lrlaciatcd  stuncs  and  hciuldcrs  of  niddcrate  si/c, 
nioslly  f-ulianLiulai',  Imt  >ninc  wi  1!  rnniided,  derived  from  llie  iiiuuntains 
or  from  die  ('retaceniis  i(icUs<ii' the  fu'itliills.  Imt  cliiedy '|nart/ites  ;  some 
limestone  and  a  l"e\v  examiiles  of  '^iieenstoiie.  Twc!  or  tliiuH'  small  pieces 
of  f,anrenlian  rocks  w.  re  found  wliieh  la-oliahly  (ame  from  this  hoiihK  i- 

clay -Ji) 

'.'<.  Stratitie(l,  earthy,  lii'ownisli  \-ellow  sands,  conlainim.' a  few  L'laciated  stones.  10 
4.  Olisenrely  stratiiied  ui'avels,  eontaininu' soiiii' stones  10  indies  llironuli.  all 
well  roniideil  and  liUe  lieaeli  or  river  sliiiiLrle.  Ti'aees  of  irlaeiation  were 
suspected  on  a  few  of  these,  Imt  were  in  no  case  ohsei'Vt'il  to  lii'  abso- 
lutely decisive.  Tlie  line  lietween  this  and  the  overlyini;  deposit  is  i|iiite 
reu'iilar  and  lieCinite.  .Mtliou.:li  there  is  an  appearance  of  lilendiiii:  in  a 
tliickness  of  a  few  inches,  tlieic  is  no  sIl;!!  of  ;iiiy  intia'Vcniii'^'-  condition 

of  importance 10 

0.  Laramie  sandstones  and  shales  to  river  k'vel 40 

!)0 


Any  is  (lurUcr 
nT  and  lower 
II  color  when 
[■astuni  oriuin 
)ttoin  and  tlu; 
1  soiiii"  l>lac<'S 

iSt    lllL'lltiolH'd 

;cl." 

ol'  till!  al>ovt' 
•ut.  as  alivaily 

bouldiT-clay- 
rt'ck  C-'S  miles 
examined  liy 
ipaet  lioulder- 
liere  a  marked 
I  with  the  last 
the  whole." 
hove  the  river 
silty  or  sandy 
<,  hut  stane  of 

th  and  Middle 
e  hase  of  the 
n  was  found , 

r  1(1  inches 

10 

usli  yellow 
rale  si/e, 
iiiuimtaiiis 
lies  ;  Seine 
iiall  pieees 
is  liiiiililer- 

L'O 

stones.  10 
imuiili,  all 
it  ion  were 
I  he  alisii- 
it  is  (|iiit(' 
iilin^'  in  a 
coiiilitidn 

10 

to 

90 


(ii:<)l,()(il('    SKCTlnNS    AMI     IIIKIIi    (  ( i.M  !'( isl  TH  )N.  [., 

Ntnnliers  .">  and  I  of  this  >eetion  are  tielieved  to  represeMt  the  Sas- 
katchewan travels,  while  mindier  '_'  may  he  either  the  lower  oi'  n|i|ier 
hoiilder-elay  of  the  plains.  Less  than  a  mile  to  tie  northward  the  Ijoid- 
der-clav  was  oliserved  to  rest  directly  u|iOii  tlie  Laramie  rocks,  numhia's 
."!  and  I  havinj.'  run  out.  Numher  I  lias  in  s  niie  |ilaces  a  clayey  mrtrix, 
thus  hi'Liinninij;  to  assume  the  character  of  tie,'  "  we.-tern  ""  houlder-clay. 

Ahout  two  miles  I'urt her  north.  aloiiL'lhe  North  fork  and  well  liehind  tin 
Southern  part  of  the  I'orcupine  hills  ( elevation  al)out  :'>.ll(Ml  feet),  another 
section  was  examiiieil.  of  which,  however,  the  total  thickness  remained 
indetermined  hccause  of  slides  in  the  liaiik.  Tliis  aLiaiii  shows  houlder- 
elav  of  a  somewhat  earthy  and  soft  character,  luit  <ontaiiiinL.''  many  stones, 
derived  from  the  mountains  or  adjacent  foothills.  The  limestone  peh- 
hles  are  often  distinctly  hut  very  liuhtly  striate(l.  and  have  apparently 
heen  well  rounded  l>y  ordinary  water  action  hefore  the  striation  had  heeu 
added.  Two  small  crunihs  of  Laureiitian  material  were  discovered  hy 
search  oil  the  face  of  this  cKposure,  hut  the  decrease  in  importance  of 
such  material  in  the  l)oulder-clay  to  the  wistward  and  where  shcllereil 
hy  the  liiudi  ridiics  of  the  Porcupines  is  very  apparent. 

The  comparatively  soil  and  earthy  character  of  the  l)oulder-clay  seen 
hehind  the  i'orcupine  hills  was  ^-eiieraHy  oliservaMe. 

IJevertiiiLr  to  the  main  line  of  approach  which  we  have  heen  followinu' 
toward  the  inouutaius.  an  exposure  on  the  South 

fork  of  the  Oil  I  III  an,  examined  in  INS.'!,  may  next  £  *«ia»«wii4«<M»»"»-»«>— • 
he  alluded  to.  This  is  distant  from  th.e  nioun-  „  .■•"'-"-'-' -'o'^''^" 
tains  nlntut  12  miles,  witli  an  apin'oxiinatc  clr-  "?"**"  J  y^",  ^^-i-.^s^e-.* 

Viktion  of  ;'),;tl(»  feet.  It  again  shows  a  i>onlder-  h  ^^^S^^^^^zz"sC 
clav,  similar  to  the  last,  overlvinii'  a  \\'\\  feet  of     -^  E- — ■^— — '■ —      '  "  "" 


;a'ravel  deriw'il    from  the   mountains.      I'.otli  dc-  ii,.\k\. :!.--s,Y/iniio,i ///r.Soii//i 

posits  occupy  a  hollow,  possiiily  that  of  an  old  /-"!■,./('/,/»„,»  av.-,-,. 

ni                •       ii         I'                                        1  '       r,;n;iinii' ( willow  (.reck  1 

ev.  as  shown  m  tiie  diaiiram  annexed.  ,    , 

Ill    issi   another  section   was  noti'il  on    .Mill  /■'    s:i>katLiuu:ni '^mmviIs. 

creek,  still  nearer  to  the  mountains  (six   inile<  '      ';"^-i>-tnuiiu..i  ci,-,.vs, 

distant,   elcvatior    .'l.SJT    fed),    which    showed  /■     >uri;ict,- .m^uxi. 

houlder-clav  of  the  usual  characler  iindcrlaiii  '     "'"'• 


UaM  of  >tc'li(Mi  j=,  Ictt  .'iliDVi' 
pixsiMl  rivti-livcl. 


hy  a  very  hard  houhle'r-elay  or  till  ol'  diU'ereiit 
aspect,  lielow  which  \vas  a.  few  feet  in  thickness 
of  fine,  compacted  i^ravi'ls.  Some  i>aurcntiaii  stones  were  found  on  tlit> 
surface  in  this  vicinity  aliove  the  level  of  thesectioii,  hut  none  were  seen 
in  it.  .\  similar  instance  of  houldcry  clay  ovcrlyiiiL;- thin  layers  of  L;;ravel 
wa-<  discovered  in  the  same  year  liiiili  upon  rincher  creek,  in  this  iicinh- 
horlu)od,  within  a  couple  of  miles  of  the  actual  hasi-  of  the  mountains. 
The  two  last  nieutioned  localities  are  within  the  limit  of  the  countrv 


w 


(i.  M.  li.WVSON — (il.ACIAI.  hKl'DSl  IN  ()|.'  S(l|  TllWKSTKliX   AM!i;UTA. 


('li;ii':u't('i'i:',i'i|  \>y  inorniiujs.  cviilriitly  due  to  local  L^iicict's  iVoiii  tlic  l!oi'l<y 
luouiitains,  and  llic  iiiiluratiMl  IdHildcr-cIay  of  tlio  Mill  Creek  sisctioii  is 
helieved.  like  the  iiioraiiies.  to  lie  a  deposit  of  these  glaciers.  'I'lie  lower 
gravels  in  this  easeand  in  that  of  I'ineher  t  reek  are  oliviously  due  to  pre- 
f^laeial  streauH  ilowinii;  iVoui  the  mountains,  and,  althoujih  the  name  Sas- 
katehewan  ^iravels  may  liea|»|)lied  to  them,  tiiey  here  evidently  antedate 
the  eastern  j^ravelly  representative  of  the  It  eky  mountains  or  earliest 
houlder-elay.  Further  to  the  east,  wlu-re  this  i)oulder-elay  gradually 
passes  into  such  gravels,  there  is  no  means  of  distinnuishinjj;  hetween 
wholly  jireulaeial  IkmIs  and  those  which  nr.iy  hav(!  heoii  formed  during;' 
the  main  pi'riod  of  the  llo<'ky  Mountain  jilaciers.  Many  ox|iosures  of  the 
Saskatchewan  gravels  may  includ(!  lioth,  and  this  without  net'essitatinjf 
the  supposition  of  any  u'l'cat  chronoloirie  lireak. 

S()rriii:i!\   Pakt  ok   ruK  I'oitcL'i'iNK  llii,i,s. 

Having  thus  lollowe<l  the  inain  southern  line  of  approach  at  low  levds 
to  the  mountains,  attention  may  next  lie  f^ivtMi  to  the  southern  end  of  the 
I'orcupiue  hills,  which  overlooks  this  avenue  on  tin;  north  side,  at  a  dis- 
tance from  aliout  ]■"•  to  .">()  miles  from  the  liase  of  the  mountains.  ( )les(m 
and  iteaver  creeks  tlow  southward  from  this  end  of  the  Iiills,  and  it  was 
chietly  in  the  vicinity  tif  these  streams  that  the  ohservations  noteil  were 
made. 

in  'raveliiiii-  westward  from  .Macleod  'situated  on  the  plains  at  an  ele- 
vation (if  .">.(!T(l  I't'ct  '  toOlcson  creek  liy  the  regular  trail  north  of  Oldnian 
rivia\  a  dista,ice  of  \\  miles,  a  uradual  ascent  is  made  which  hccome.s 
greater  as  the  llaid<s  of  the  hills  are  reached.  The  following  tt.'rracu- 
levels  weri'  noted  on  this  route: 

North  of  Macleod  an  extensive gravtil  [ilain  forming  the  angle  hetween 
Oldman  and  Willow  rivers  is  reached.  This  rises  gradually  iVom  ;!,1'>" 
feet  in  a  distance  of  a  couple  of  miles  to  ^i.'J'JO  feet.  Itssurfaee  is  notaiiso- 
lutely  llat,  liut  is  diversified  hy  low  swells  or  ridges,  which  generally  trend 
north  and  south. 

This  plain  is  liounded  to  the  west  liy  a  distinct  rise  leading  to  another 
similar  plain  or  wide  terrae(\  also  gravelly,  of  which  the  eastern  part  is  at  a 
lieight  of  .'*>.i'7o  I'eet.  and  which  continues  toslope  uj)  gradually  to  the  west- 
ward. The  gravels  of  this  plain  and  the  last  are  composeil  ehielly,  luit 
not  entirely,  of  well  rolled  Rocky  Mountain  ([uartzite.s.  At  o.'JSti  feet  on 
this  seeonil  plain  is  found  running  northward  a  line  of  remarkalile  large 
linulders,*  composed  of  (piartzite  or  conglomerate.     Those  an.'  identical 

*'rii('si'  rciiiiirkal>li'  ImuMi'is  ai'i'  in  sizi>  iiinl  niiiipositioii  uiiliko  any  observed  in  the  hoiiUler- 
chiy^.  Tlii-y  luivc  iiiii|i)iilpti'illy  ln'iMi  wiilor-limiu'  ^tml  ihiiy  piolmlily  Imvo  ln'oii  ili'i'ivi'il  from  nomu 
piU'tii-iihir  rcKiiin  of  tlii'  Liuirunliaii  platciiii  vvliicli  l)ociune  triljiitiiry  iit  u  later  stage  of  tlie  Olaoial 
perioil. 


'I'^UN'   .\M!KltT,\. 
^  iVollI  tllc  l{(icl<y 

( 'i"('L'l\  section  is 
'•'''■^-  Tlio  lower 
"l-'lydlie  to  piv- 
;'li  the  iKiiiiu  Siis- 
'"'•'•"flyjuik'diitu 
fiiiiis  or  fiirliost 
■-I'liiy  .uriuliiiilly 

lisllill;r    lu'twccil 

I  I'oniit'd  duriiio' 
;x|)o.sur('sortlio 

it    llfCCSsitiltilljr 


.sKcrrov  .\r...N'(i  v.m.i.ky  or  oi.i.m.w  imvki;. 


4r) 


■li  iit  low  lev-Is 
Ik-'I-ii  end  o|'  (he 
'  •■'ide,  at  a  ,|is- 
tains.  Olesoii 
ill>*.  and  it  was 
>iis  noted  Were 

•'liiis  at  an  ele- 
I'tlK.fOldn.an 
lii<'h  Ix'couie.s 
'wiiio;  terraeo- 

in<j;Ie  hetweeii 

ly  iVoiii  ;;,i.';() 

'0  is  iiotaliso- 
lU'raily  trend 

i.u:  to  another 
I'"  I'iirt  isata 
y  t(j  tile  west- 
I  chiedy,  hut 
-■{.2S(;  feet  on 
•I'lcalilt!  Iari;(> 
11-0  identical 

I  ill  the  lioiil.k.r- 

I'iVlHl    111, 111  SOIIIU 

;«  of  tliu  (jlaoial 


3»OII/gMJW7 


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W)    <;.  M.  h,\\v--()\ — (.i.Aci  \r,  iii:i'(tsirs  oi'  >uri'iiwi;s'ri:i!N   \i,i'.i:i;  r.\. 

ill  cliarai'lcr  u  itii  llinsc  iMilcil  in  llic  rcnnri  n|'  |nS-_'-",s|  us  occiirriiii;' iiciii' 
t'lc  Idwcr  part  n\'  Watciidii  I'iv  r  at  a  liciuiit  ut'  lii'twccii  .'l, ■_''»()  and  ."i.:i(l(> 
Icrt.-'-ani!  it  may  l.c  aiM.''i  here  that  intuldcrs  of  tiic  saiiu!  Uimi  wcri! 
I'ciind  liy  .Mr  .Mc(  'niii:  1!  iin  tlir  ncirtiicrn  part  of  tiic  l'<)icu|)im-  hills  at  a. 
Iici-ld  i'\'  •".,'.>'>il  t'c't.  and  on  tin'  No.-c  hills  near  Cal.Lrary  at,  .'MMO  feet. 

At  .'v'lHi  I'i'i't  is  a  hniddi'i'-sl  rcwn  terrace  with  some  pretty  lar^c  iidid- 
deis,  lidth  i>l'  l!i>eky  nmuntain  i.nd  l-aureii'ian  (H'iuiii  :  at  ■'■.■IN?  I'eet. 
an  )tlier  terrace  .-limilarly  eliai'aetci'i/ed  ;  at  •'!,");iJ  I'eet,  a  terrace  with  rolled 
ij;  ravel  nn  the  siirl'ac"  and  an  ahinidanee  of  eastern  drift,  and  a^'ain  at  •'>.(')  I'l 
I'eet  occurs  -^lill  another  well  niarkcil  and  \>ide  terrace  with  similar  udxed 
drift. 

I'^roni  this  a  descent  was  made  to  our  camp  on  ( )les()n  ereeU  ( :!,('•(•()  feet) 
and  from  this  place,  in  the  coin-se  of  a  rather  lonir  e.xeursion  in  (he  hills 
to  the  northwai'il.  the  following  tci'racc- levels  at  iircater  altitudes  were  oli- 

servcd.     'jhese  are  iirielly  enumia'ateii  helow,  hut  it  must  he  undcrst i 

that  many  more  such  levels  nduht  have  hcen  noted  had  further  time  heen 
jriven  tn  the  investigation,  i'ossiiily,  at  a  distance  of  souk;  miles,  a  ipiiti; 
diU'ei'cnt  scries  of  water-levels  wotdd  have  hcen  reco;j;inzed,  t'or  it  appears 
■prolialilc  that  almost  every  staiic  in  .i  !.;radual  di'sceut  of  the  water-liut; 
may  lie  found  l<i  he  markcil  in  some  part  of  the  I'oreupine  hills. 

:!,,s.");!  I'cct,  a  IciTMcr  lil<c  Hat  witli  rollcil  i|iiarl/itc  and  Lainctiliaii  gravel. 

;!,S77  led ,  an  eviiji'iil  Icrrai-e  witli  similar  ^navels,  incliiiliiij,'  sonic  itucky  niuinilain 

rnnc.~lonc. 
li.S'.iS  I'cct,  a  fainllx  imprcssccl  terrace  with  similar  ;.'ravels. 
■l,ISL'  I'cct.  ap|iriiximat<'l>  ,  a  tiaia -c  with  similar' ^.-ravels. 
•I.LNj  feci,  a  tciaai'i'  with  similar  i^ravcls. 
•I,.'!  HM'cct,  a   Icfiarc  with  similar  irravcls.  nian.\'  larLic  well   mnnilcil  sIdmcs,  ancj  a 

ciin>iilciali|c  |iro|M  iitiim  nl'  limc<tiinc  rel'ia'alilc  in  the  Winnipeii'  hasin, 
4, ."id")  I'cct.  a  llal-tii|iiiei|   hill,  tin-  hii^hot  in  this  vicinity,  and  evidently  marUinur  a 

terrace-level,  c(i\crci|    with    similar   well   rolled    i;ravcls,   inclndinvr    Kucky 

MMiiiitain    i|nai't/iles  anil   limestniic,  as  well   as    i.atn'cntian   '^nicisscs  ;uid 

\\'iinii|ic'_'  limestones. 

It  is  thus  evident  that  from  the  level  of  Macleod  to  the  hij^hest  point 
ahove  noted  there  is  an  uniiiturruptc(|  series  of  terraces, covered  with  well 
rounded  pelililcs  of  mixiMl  eastern  ami  western  ori.Ldn.  TIk?  erratics  of 
easti'rn  orii;in  arc  not  less  aliun<lant  at  hiuher  than  at  lower  levels,  iiud 
while  some  of  the  Kocky  .Motintain  stones  arc;  of  eonsideral»l(!  si/e,  tin; 
fjtnei.ssie  Laurciitian  Ixnilders  are.  on  (he  whole,  lai'Lierat  hi^di  levels,  iieinij; 
often  as  much  as  three  feet  in  iliaineter,  while  some  lar^^e  pieces  of  Wiii- 
nipec'  limestone  were  also  se(!n  at  the  hiizhest  levels.  No  glaciated  stones 
were  ohr'erved  on  these  InL'hei  terraces,  nor  aiiv  si^iis  of  jilaeiation  on  the 


*0|j.    it.  II  PI),  fi,  (',  ii;»  V. 


t 


;i!V  \i,iii:i!T,\. 
J  occiirriii;^'  iw.w 

;;,-jii()  Mild  .".,:'.it(» 

-aiiiti  kiiul  weft! 
'ii|iiiir  liills  ill  a 

t  ;;.!ii(i  r.'ft. 

rctty  l;iivi'  Ixnil- 
;  at  ;'..:'..S7  tret. 
iTiirc  with  nillcil 
id  auaiii  at  -'i,'!  I! 
,li  similar  mixed 

ivcl<  (:;.(•'<•(»  t'c.'t) 
I'siciii  ill  till'  iiiils 
ititudcs  wciT  (ili- 
A  lie  undcrstiMid 
uitiiiT  time  ii('t!ii 
lie  miles,  a  iiuite 
L)d.  l()r  it  appears 
•r  the  water-! iiiu 
line  iiiils. 

Ill  snivel. 
('  ItocU V  inuiinlaiii 


,K(tlTltKl;\    I'AItT    <l|'    Till'.    l-(>K(li'I\i:s. 


47 


clcij  stiiiics,  aiiil  a 
ini|M"j:  liMsin. 
iileiitly  iiiai'ixiiii:  a 
inclucliiiir    iim'tiy 
dan  v'lieisses  ami 


e  hi^liest  |M)iiit 

(Vered  with  well 

'I'lie  erratics  of 

)Wer  levels,  and 

"erahle  size,  the 

lih  levels,  heiiii;' 

pieces  (»!    \\  ili- 

daciiiteil  stiiiies 

aciatioii  on  tliu 


saiid-'ione  <>  di  .up  ■  wdiepc  these  dcciir.  hut  the  nicl<  in  place  is  rather  too 
soft  to  ■  rescirve  siuli  tracer  well  had  tlu'V  existed  upon  it.  'I'lie  peculiar 
LrreeiistoiK!  of  the  llockv  iiioiintaiiis  hel'ore  rel'eiTed  to  is  not  inrri'(|iient  at 
all  leV(!ls,  and  as  this  ]iartieular  i'ocI<  ociuis  in  place  in  the  iiioiintains  (iiH 
an  interliedded  layer)  scarcely  as  far  north  as  latitude  1'.)'^  o(»',  it  must 
have  traveled  in  a  northeastward  direction  in  on!  'r  to  reach  this  part  of 
the  ToreiipMie  hills.  The  matrix  of  theuraveis,  wherevcjrsecai,  is  a  whitish 
silty  or  sanity  mate'ial,  perhaps  in  part  composed  of  disintegrated  sand- 
stones of  local  orii^dn.  hut  iiicludiiiL;  grains  of  simil.ir  composition  to  the 
pehliles  themselves. 

The  ilat  outlines  of  the  hills  in  all  this  southeastern  part  of  the  I'orcu- 
piiies  appears  to  lie  in  the  main  plainly  due  to  water  levelling,',  altlioii-^di 
.assisted  l>y  the  nractically  horizontal  altitude  iif  the  sandstone  hijils. 
From  the  iiii^liest  point  here  reached  the  terraeiiiu'  of  the  iiiils  may  ho 
(iiiely  so(;n  tor  many  mil(;s  to  the  northward,  hut  still  higher  and  partly 
wooded  rid^'es  to  the'  westward  showed  toward  their  summits  an  alto- 
fj;(,'t her  dill'e rent  and  rouu'li 'i' character,  alt lioimli  fundamentally  composed 
of  the  same  Laramie  rocUs.  The  lii:,diesl  terrace  seen  on  the  hills.  nea.r 
the  headwaters  of  l>e;,\er  creels,  was  very  well  marked,  and  was  estimatoil 
hy  eyo  from  a  distance  to  reach  alioiit:  I, '.10:1  feet  ahove  sealevel. 

In  coiitinuiiiu;  tlu!  imiuiry  it  hecanie  evidently  necessary  to  examiiit! 
tlie  hiudu'i'  ridu,-es  aliove  alUuled  to.  and  this  was  accomplished  from  tlui 
upper  valley  of  i>eaver  creek,  whence  an  accent  was  made  to  the  hi^diost 
point  in  that  vicinity,  locally  known  as  r'ive-mile  imtte.  In  tliis  region 
tile  total  amount  of  loreiun  drift  is  less  consideralile  and  distinct  terra-'es 
are  seldom  oliservahle,  facts  doubtless  due  to  the  shelter  alVonh.'d  hy  adja- 
(•(Mit  hi.^lilands  on  all  sides,  hut  particidarly  to  that  of  the  wide  belt  of 
hills  and  rid^^es  to  the  eastward.  Our  camp  on  Heaver  creek  was  at  an 
elevation  of  d.'_*'J2  t'eet,  and  in  asceiidiiiii-  from  it  to  i-'ive-niile  htitte,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  valley,  the  following  notes  were  made: 

4,Ii")l)  f'i'i'l,  a  few  well  rDJieil  iiit'ces  of  Laiiiiiiliaii,  \\'iniii|)i'ir  iiiiii'slout'  and  IJucky 

Muiiiitaiii  l|llart/ite^. 
r),070  feet,  a  few  small  liaiiri'iitiaii  pehliles. 
5,1 14  fi'ot,  baiiri'iitiui   himldi'i-s  L'  I'cct  ti  iiirlies  tliruinr'i,  llockv  Mniiiitaiii  liiiiestoiie, 

i|uart/ite  diift  and  pi'uhalily  a  liltlc  \Vimii[icu'  liiiii'stuiK'. 
^iL'.-iUfert,  a  iiriijei'tiii;;  point  1)11  the  liii.'li  lidire  sliiiwiiij.' ahiiinlance  nf  well  roiiiulcil 

haiireiitiaii  anil  iinartzite  iliil't. 
\t  ."),:;(10  feet  (he  riilire  hecniiii's  llat-tuppi'il  ami  prulialily  marks  a  terrace-level.      It 

is  strewn  with  iiiinu  runs  well  rcilled  pcliiilcs  of  eastern  and  western  iirij.'in, 

Ineliiiliii;.'  I.aiireiitiaii,  Winnipeg;  limestone,  and  Uneky  Mountain  liniestuiie 

and  i|iiaitzite.     Sonie  nf  the   l,;iiirent  iaii   Imiildeis  are  -  feet   in  diameter. 
.Miiive  tills  level  iiuthin;.'  Imt  dehris  of  local  sand.stones  was  found,  the  hiirhesl  iioint 

of  Five-nule  liiitte  lieiiiK  reached  at  'i,:Ui')  foot. 

VII— I3UI.I,.  (JKOi..  Sou.  Am.,  Vui,.  7,  IS'J'j. 


/, 


IS      (I,  M.  DAWSON' — nr.ACIAt,  nRI'OSITS  OK  SOl'TirWKSTKliN  AI.I'.IIUI'A. 

It  will  lie  iiott'il  (hilt  tli(!  LiUircntiiin  drill  is  in  tliis  iicitililpiirlKniiI 
markedly  niorc  id)Undiiiit  iit  tlic  liitrlicr  levels,  the  upper  limit  ol'  the 
trnveleil  materiid  staiidiiiji-  ahove  all  the  hills  and  riducs  to  the  eastward. 
A  distinct  terrace  was  oitserved  on  the  opposite  ( west )  side  of  Heaver 
Creek  valley  at  an  estimated  hoijfht  ol'iihout ').l''!i'  feet.  This  may  pos- 
sihly  ciirrespond  with  that  previously  noted  as  seen  from  the  hills  aliovo 
Olesou  creek,  hut  is  not  the  same.  The  hivels  in  hoth  eases  are  neces- 
sarily somewhat  uncertain. 

In  crossing;  the  last  rid<j;«'oi'  tlu!  Porcupines  on  the  west,  hetween  lieaver 
creek  and  the  North  i'ork  of  Oldmau  river,  a  heinht  of  4,'.>.'S((  fecit  was 
reached,  and  here  a  few  pehhlivs  of  Rocky  mountain  oriudii  were  found, 
although  on  projeetin.LT  points  •Jdd  feet  hii,dier  no  traveled  drift  was  ol)- 
served.  This  evidence  is,  however,  of  a  purely  neirative  character.  On 
th(!  west  slope,  in  (le.scen(lin<i  t(.'ward  the  North  fork.  Laurentian  drift 
was  lirst  reeoj^nized  at  i,7IO  feet  and  eontinueil  spi.rinu;ly  down  toahout 
4,1  HiO  feet.     None  was  sei'U  near  the  river  itself  (.'!,'.tG(l  i'viit\ 

Tl.AIN    AMI   VaI.MvV    WksT   OK   TIIK   I'oHcri'lNK    Ifll.l.S. 


"i 


Hetween  th(!  Porcupines  and  the  foothills  proper  a  plain  some  miles 
in  width  here  runs  north  and  south.  This  to  the  eye  appears  almost 
perfectly  level.  It  is  continued  southward  heyond  the  .Middle  and  South 
forks  of  the  Oldnian  with  inereasin;;  wiilth  and  prohahly  witii  a  some- 
what deereasint?  elevation.  The  lowest  part  of  this  plain  actually  trav- 
ersed on  our  route  is  near  the  contluene(M)f  the  North  and  Middle  I'orks, 
with  an  elevation  of  ;>,7-")<-)  feet.  In  al)out  three  mile>  fai'ther  north  it 
rises  "gradually  to  4,140  feet,  the  surface  tieinu'  generally  gravelly  (num- 
her  1  of  section  on  pa^e  42).  This  jiravel  [dain  n>seml>les  in  character 
that  oceurrinji  near  Maeleod  at  an  elevation  lowi'r  hy  altout  l,<l(HMeet, 
hut  no  eastern  drift  was  found  amoni;  the  pehhles,  which  appear  to  have 
l)een  entirely  hrought  down  l>y  rivers  llowin^'  from  the  mountains. 

in  following  the  plain  northward  it  l)ecomes  narrowed,  I)ut  again  widens 
ahout  the  hend  of  the  North  fork,  where  its  average  elevation  is  ahout 
4,200  feet.  From  this  vicinity  (near  the  rp[)er  Walrond  ranch)  th<!  wide 
valley  of  North  fork  runs  northwestward  to  the  hase  of  the  mountains. 
It  is  tloorod  ity  a  regular  terrace  apparently  in  continuation  of  the  plain 
last  referred  to,  which  attaches  to  the  bases  of  the  neighhoring  hills  some 
miles  to  the  west  at  an  elevation  of  ahout  4,400  feet. 

From  the  Upper  Walrond  ranch  a  continuous  valley,  hounding  the 
Porcupine  hills  on  the  west,  runs  northward  to  High  wood  river,  a  distance 
of  48  miles.  A  very  I'iiw  small  Laurentian  boulders  were  seen  near  the 
ranch,  and  one  was  ob.served  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  north  at  a 


■''•"'■:i.'N'  Ai.iiKiri'A. 

tliis  iii'i-Iili(wli(„)(| 
"I'l"''"  limit  ol'  tilt.' 

<■-*  ti>  til(!('ils(\V!in|. 

"t)  side  ,,|'  lU'iivrv 
f-  'I'liis  may  \>i)s- 
""  till'  hills  iilii.vo 
'  cast's  iiru  iii.'ft's- 

t,l)(;t\vt'eii  Hfiivcr 
_>'■  -l,!'«(5  l'i'(;t  was 
i.ifiii  wfi-o  roiiiid, 
i'<!  'Ifia  was  mIi- 
f  cliai'acttT.  Oil 
'"iiirt'iitiaii  drift 
ly  'I'twii  t()al)()ut 
it). 


iri/,i,s. 

Iain  soiiio  miles 
'i|'|»'''>i's  almost 
''I'llcaiid  South 
y  with  a  soiiio- 
1  actually  fj'av- 
il  Mi'ldlf  forks, 
"'<l'cr  north  it 
gravelly  (nnni- 
'•■^  ill  character 
•out  1,()()()  f,.,,t^ 
4'1'car  to  havt' 
)untains. 
ta.i^ain  widens 
ation  is  ahout 
'i<'li)tho  with' 
^  iiiountuins. 
"  ofthi'  plain 
'ijj:  hills  some 


>()iiMdinn-  the 
<-'i",  a  distance 
icon  ntnir  the 
J  north  at  a 


I 


BULL.  GEOL.  SOC.  AM. 


VOL.  7,   1895.  "L.   1. 


I  I  ( .  I  i<  1 :   1  —  1 1 1  I  I  I    1 1  \    1 1 1 1 . 1 1  \\  n(  1 1 1   K  1  \  I .  i< . 

Sliiiuiiii;  lUH  ImimIcIi  1  il.i\~.   llic  liiulur  i.:i—.iim  ..l..iv.    im.i  -li.ililii,!   -ills,      Tlit  lij-c  ol  llie 
licpiilili  1  .  I.iv  luir  11  -'.'  ilhn'llv   nil   I.Mi.ciiiii    link'-. 


. 


. 


I''K,rKI.    2  -  I'.XKT   <l|-    Si  CI  KIN    ON    ItliW     Kl\|   K    MAR   C.MI.AUV. 

Slinwin;;  (.'laytA'  S;i>k:itt'lii;\\:iii  ^laviN  iivtiiaiii  h\'  hciulili-r-clay. 
BOULDER-CLAYS  AND  SASKATCHEWAN  GRAVELS. 


. 


• 


I'l.AIN    AM»    VAI.IJ;Y    WKST    Ol'    Till',    I'Oltcri'INK    UllAM. 


4i> 


lici^lit  (»f  l.lou  t'tict  ;  liut  111)  morn  ciistiTii  drift  of  Miiy  kind  was  foiiud 
mIoiiu'  the  Viillcy  for  ;!(i  luilcH  iiortliward.  If  not  oiitiroly  alwoiit,  it  naiist 
here  lie  cxti'ciiicly  scarci'. 

At  tlif  distaiic<'  just  Motcil,  near  thd  ciiain  of  small  lakes  hctwcen  tlio 
North  liraiicli  of  Willow  ci'cek  and  the  South  iiranch  of  the  Ifijihwood, 
where  the  wjile  ^a])  of  the  IliLilnvood  valley  lie.uins  to  lay  the  country 
traverseil  iikut  upen  to  tln^  eastward,  a  sini.de  Laureiitian  l)oul<ler  was 
auaiu  Seen.  This  was  o|)[)osit()  tlio  third  or  lutrthernmost  lako,  at  an 
elevation  of   I.KHl  feet. 

in  this  vicinity  a  well  marked  tcM-race  was  also  found  at  1,270  feet,  with 
>everal  others  faintly  impressed  on  the  hillsides  up  to  l.oOO  feet,  hut  no 
hi.uher.  'i'he  Upward  limit  of  terracin;!;  and  of  thick  drift  deposits  ap- 
pears here  to  lie  W(;ll  dclini'd.  Lart,'(>  fra^'uientsof  Kocky  Mountain  lime- 
stoni!  are  found  here  and  there  throughout  this  part  of  the  foothills  L'cn- 
erally  -tranded  on  proud nent  rid;.i;es  of  sandstone. 

At  the  iiead  o|'  the  South  hraneli  of  tlio  lIij,diwood,  hrownisli  earthy 
iioulder-clay,  with  stoU(;s  wholly  derived  from  the  mountains,  was  seen 
in  tlie  hank  of  a  stream  apparently  restinLr  directly  on  hed-rock.  T]w 
surface  of  this  houlder-clay  forms  a  wide  terracedevel  in  wliieh  the  stream 
valley  is  cut  out,  with  an  olevatit/U  of -1,240  feet,  rising'  to  ahout  4,2ttO  feet 
where  it  meets  the  slopes  of  the  hills.  In  folIowiiiiJ;  the  South  hranch 
noi'thward  to  a  point  six  miles  tVom  its  eonllueuco  with  the  main  Iliuh- 
wood.  at  a  hci'iht  of  ;i,i)(;(»  t'eet.  houlder-elay  like  the  last  was  again  seen, 
hut  here  holdinu  a  few  very  small  liaurontian  fragment-. 


ilifinwoon  RiVKii  and  Vici.mty. 

To  the  eastward  of  the  South  lirauch  Mr  AfcCoimoll  made  a  long  detour 
anc-ngtlic  northern  ridges  and  plateaus  of  the  I'orcuitino  hills,  the  high- 
est of  which  are  there  aliout  1.740  feet.  Upon  th(!se  ho  found  ahuu(hinee 
of  Kocky  Mountain  limestone  and  (piartzite,  hut  no  eastern  drift  altove 
l.loi)  feet  and  very  little  drift  of  this  origin  anywliero. 

in  the  liankof  the  main  Ilighwood,  four  miles  alxivo  the  mouth  of  the 
South  foi'k  (1-")  miles  from  the  hase  of  the  mountains,  elevation  ahout 
■'!.70ll  feet).  Mr  .McCounoll  examined  a  section  showing  oo  feet  of  l)oulder- 
clay  overlain  hy  a  considerahle  thickness  of  silts,  and  those  in  turn  cajiped 
hy  rivi'r  gravels.  The  l)oulder-clay  is  dark  l)rownish  holow  and  light  yel- 
lowish ahove,  with  stones  seldom  exceeding  six  inches  in  diameter,  which, 
so  far  as  ohserved,  are  wholly  of  western  origin. 

l''i'om  the  mouth  of  the  South  hranch  the  llighwood  was  followed  down 
to  the  crossing  of  the  railway,  and  midway  hotwoen  these  points  some 
tine  sections  were  found  (see  [tlato  1).     The  height  of  the  river  is  here 


"'"       'i.  M.  I'.WVSON— (;|,.\,|,\,,    ,,,,,,. 


'^  "!■  siji  T)i\\).:s'iKi;.v  ,\  I,  I  !!•:(; 


iKiri'A. 


'l<'.sc(Mi.liiio  ,,n|,:r,  tin;  M„(i:,  |„.n.  .h,,u 


111, 


I.  \\'<'ll  .^tiMtilicI  MM. I  c-iinvii(   Im..|,|,.,|  ,.i||,>.      .  .  '' 

-'.  I'lilc-  yfll.,u  i-)i  -r;iy  l»iiil.|,.|(liiy  

'■'•■  l»;irl<  ^;i;iy  ImjiiMi.c cImv .'  '•' 

■I-  l-ili;illii(:  Miiiiisloiicy  ;(ImI  sIjiiIcs  "" 


o>  U:-ts  oMJ...  |..Hl,,..r-HMy  l.,|.|  n.n, y  au.l  sunn.  huv.  s.on,.,  ..r,..n 
-    -'Kv'.r,soll..HWM- H.y  is  l,,.,i.,n.;,l  ,,,,.!,, uit...li-,in....      .M.nvof 

^";f;;.^*'';r ;•'■'•''-'' ui,i.i..v..i,:,n,i.., •.i,..,.,...,..,.,.,. , ! 

o,,l.l,n    ,H.|.nv..:n,.ll,:,|rin,|,,.,.,p..,.,ivi.i.,n.      I,,  i.  .,.,,..,.,,. in  v 

I.  n^_..  H    II,.    ^•.n.,|,n;.  .  H,on  <.om..,H..|s  will,  II,.  honzon  of  llHM.^ 
f '''''^'"'f'^'';"^' -'>''''-''i'"-'U.nlilisl,..li.v...|||„„nMn,l,..rsh,„.i 

-•onvH|.M,Hl  w,ilM,,n,,l..,.. -M,,|  ;;  ofii,.  (■,,1,,,.,  ,,Hion  ,s.,.  , .,,,.. ;i;;, 

..,:;;;■  ^"/'7"''''':;;;'^;''-''--- "i'M-v.iin,i..un,ii.i;H.,; 

llH'yi,).|H,.,.,n.,|  lo  1...  n,Mn.;,l.,i,„|;,„(  f„,l,.,„sl.  -      ^   "   '     '^ 


lIl'.IIWOMI,     l;i\'i:|(    xn    <'.\(,,;ai;v. 

|.>onMj,..|,.u-,,,.MIi.l,  l:iv..,-,!,..  n.,nlnrn  :,.]....  ,o||..v...|  :„..,|,- 
'\-'!'^  '"  '^'l^^'i-y,  .,  n„l,....n.-i.,.  SI,..,.,,  Pi,,,  „„|  ,,.,,,,  ,.,,,„.|^,  ^„„, 
nsm^r  ov..,-  ..:,.hv:„.,|    ,.n,,,.,.|i..„.  ,.r  ,|,.  1.,.,.,.  pi;,,,...,,,  whi-l,  |.......  ,,.,„■..- 

"■"•"    7:^^""'  ^'"■'•l'-n-l<i<.l.„ni,  ;:,<;-;  ,;.,.,,.     „,,,.  ,,,,  „,^,„  „;„. 

'^'•■^'-'•':''';'''''--nll,..n,  .]..,..  ,,,v;,,..i  , I,..  MM     I  sud,  .„;,„.s  .„; 

ox,.,...,n,]ys,.ur.....     AM!,..  ,.,..,s.i„.  ..f  SI,..,.,.  ..,•,...,,  r:.|...,„,  ;.,....  n:,.,',  , 


piirt,i;i,liy  slniUn...]   -I 


'"ly    .l,.|M,s,t,  niH..n,l,Jii,jr  lM,ii|,|,.,.-,.|,.,y  l>„|,  ,.|,.nvii,..- 


U\  lr;[<t- 


n..  sl,ri;,l,.,|  .|,„n.;s, ,  „„l,:.i„.  u  .:,.Hsi.|,.ntU,.  ,.r-,,,.,r,.i.,n  „r  Uun.im 
incnls. 

.H  u  l,nn,.y,  .in-  ,.h,l,n^  ....,n,l,.y,  ,.,„n,,riHn^  ..„,..  I...||,mvs  an.l  sw..,.,.; 
'    •|.n.s,..„s  w,U,„„l,  ..uli,.|.  :u,.i    ,v,,...„i„.  s.H.,.Mvh:i,l,  ll...  ,.|,anu=t.,.s  '  Jl" 

tl..d<!y  .ovcro.1  w.th  .oil,  wl.i,:h  is  ...,.,.  i,,  ,.la.:..s  t.,  1,,.  ..,..l..,.,ain  hy  .|.^ 


/ 


AMlKiriA. 

iiiilcs.     In 

') 

i;> 

L'O 

i.'i 

r,r, 

one,-;,  (.ricii 

II'  l)i'hvM-ii 

.Miiiiyoi' 

.-••I'll  ti)  lie 

't   'iTl.'lilllv 

y  liiiiiKl  ill 
I  I  III'  iiid'i'- 

llxTS   I  illid 

<■  p.'i-i'. ".;;). 

tlii.s  |il:iri; 
;,-'i7l   li'i't) 


lll'.IIW'niiii    i;ivi,l;    'lo   (  ,\i,(..\i;v 


51 


<'<l    :iiirlli- 
r''i'ls^   ;iii(| 

I'l'l'    l'l'|i|'C- 

•-•n    Hi-li- 

lll.-lll      OIIC- 

IVoiil  IIh; 
:('|)  d'cc^k, 
',S|)l)l|(li||N- 

tones  ni'i! 
'IM  I'l'i'l  j  ;i, 

."^llOWillfr 
tilUI    IV.'I^'- 

(iiit ;;,(;()() 

.s\v;iiii|)y 

i'h   pri'Uy 
ill  liy  (|(;- 


piisil-^  III'  riiljcd  L'l'MVi'l,  liiil.  III]  si'i'lioiis  uf  ;iiiy  (|()illi  Dcciir.  'I'lic  ixlcnl, 
<il  lliii  (■i.iiiitry  uiici'i-  d'o^scij  is  ,'il/iMil,  six  mill-.  Il  i-:  Ihr  milv  li'.ict 
iMi'l,  with  ill  this  inliri'  I'l'^'imi  wliiiji  in  uny  ili'^rni  -iinnhiti-  tlir  i|i;ir:iilirs 
iisinilly  iissiiini-il  ;i,s  iiioni ini''.  Xi'urly  ;i||  Ihr  -Imih'-^  ;ii-i'  iVi/ni  tin-  wrsi,, 
liiil  ;i,  vi'i'v  i'lU'  l,;iiii'i'nli;iii  Im(Ii1i|its  :iri-  -m'Ii. 

At,  till-  iiuriii  ind  ,,l'  lln'  r.iiiwiiy  lirid;.-!'  hvit  l''i-li  i-ni-k  ;i.  iiillin'j  liiis 
Im'cii  Iii;ii|i'  in  |.,'i|i-  ;_M';iyi-li  yrjluw  liuiilijii' i|;i\  .  in  wliirli  nii.-t  .,1'  tlif 
•sfDiii'S  ;iri'  Will    i'(.iiiii|ii|  rili(,ii^.||  suiiH'  piiTi-  i,r  ilurkv  .Mniint.'iin  linir- 

Stillli'   iU'i-    Sll'illliil;   ;il|i|     ;i||     ;irr,,f    Wr^lil'li     i.l'iL^ill.         I  „'l  II  I'l'nt.i.'l  1 1    I  ii  HI  |i  |i  I's 

iiri'  hi'i'i',  lii)\M\i  r,  111)1    III  riininmn   on  tin'   -iirl;iri'  ;il  i|i\;ili(,n-,  i,|'  ;;.|ii(| 

to  ;;,.'',o()  Int. 

'I'lii'  lii'.dii'r  |i;irls  iil'ii,  widi;  |(l:iiii.  Iliniiivh  the  nnlii'  of  uliiili  tin.  \',<,w 
v.'illi'y  \-  Irinclinl.  in  ||,|.  viiinily  of  I'lm-  .iv.-k,  have  ii  jivi-j  ,,(  .'il.uiit, 
.';,')< to  Int. 

r.«tt,\Vi'i'li  l''isli  I'l'i'i'k  ;ilii|  Ciil'jiiry,  ;il  lii'i^iits  i.f  ;;.  jOO  In  ;;..",( )(l  I',,. | .  |,:ii|- 
I'l'iitiMii    lii.iiMi';'-  ;ii'i.  rniiiiij    in  i iii'i'i','! -i I im    niiinliiTs.     Sniiii.  ,,\'  tliim  mr 

Kl'Vi  r;il    feci,  ill  ijiiilni'ti  r.  :il|i|     tlii-y  :i|i'    ^riitliTi'd   nVV  till,    slirriir,.    ,'i|,|,;i|'- 

<'iilly  ill  iissi»ri;itii)n  willi  i|i!|j.)-il-:  ovi'i'iyin'j  lljr  lioiiMi  r-rl;i\'. 

Si:r'rii)\«  .N   I'.Dw    |;i\-|,i;   \',M.|,|.:^■. 

At  Ciil-iiry  \vi'  ri';ii'li  Itow  rivrr.  wliirli  Ii;i-:  in  Ihe  iiili'i,i|ii,t,,rv  |i;i^'i'S 
nl'  lliis  |(,'i|ii'i'  Id-i'ii  iJi'-i-riUnl  ;is  llic  -ic,,n-i  ^ji'ml  hvi'Iiih'  nf  ;i|,|,i'i,,iij,  t., 
till'  iiii.iiiit;un-  at.  Imv  irsi'N  and  llir  iinil  InTiiiiin-l,  in  th..  ii.Mi,,ii  heir  .(,11- 
sidi'i'i'd.  l^'uilowiiiL'-  tin:  |.lan  iilrrady  iii|ii|)|i:d  in  IIh'  la-c  nf  llic  llillv 
;iiiil  .■)!.' man  riviT-',  snmc  iii.t,i,-i:  will  m.w  !„•  -ivi-n  of  cli-iavai  i,,,,-  madi- 
iiliiii^'  till'  lli.w  I'l'l. Ill  I'.'isl,  ti.  ai-l.  Ill-  in  i.rdir,  .'i-.-i'iidin-  Ihr  -tnam  low.'ird 
till-  inuiiiitiiiii-.  'I'hisit  i>l.siTV;itiiiiH  .'III'  I'liii'lly  ti, nsr  i.l'  Mr  Mri  oiimll, 
will,  in  IS'.IO  ili-.i;i.ndid  tln'  riviT  in  a  l.ual  IrLin  .Morlev  |,,,  ll,,.  I'.jark  I'l.i.t, 
iTi.v-iii'j-  with  tlii'.-pi'i'ial  j,iir|,i.-:i.  i.r  iiivi-ti,-;iliiiv  I  lie  .-ii|H'rli.ia  I  i|i'|.i,-it,s, 
illid  sii).|.li'mi'iiti'i|  this  l.y  a  I'liliral  .•xaminal  imi  i.f  t  lii-e  di'|H.<il-  at 
.Mi'dii'ini'  11,'it.  .Medii'ine  Hal  i^  nliiali'd  al,  a  di-lanri'  i.l'al.Miil  |."..",  mil,.,. 
I'l'l. Ill  till'  iii';ii'i'-l  pari  i.f  ihe  mmi nl.'i !ii<  and  iiln.iil  l'7u  mil,-  fr,,,,,  il,,. 
'""Ulll^lill-  '  il  line  ine;l-^lired  illmi--  llie  Mi.n,.|a|  ri,iir-.i:  ,,f  t|,,.  |;,,\v  and 
Si. Mill  S;isk,'iti:hew;iii  river-.      .Mr  Mi'Ci.mielJ  writes: 

•• 'i'lie  H-laeial  i|e|.i,sils  ,'it  .Medieiiie  Mat,  cniiHst.  of  li'jlil  11. lured  ei.iii- 
|.;i.'t  l.i.iilder-i'hiys  i.ftlie  i.rdiiiary  tyj.e,  l.iit,  slii.wiii'j  in  pkne-  faint  lines 
(.r  stnitiliealii.ii,  i.v'i'kiiii  l.y  si  ral  ilied  -■amis  and  underlain  l,v  '  ds  i.l 
(jiiiirUite  i.el.l.le-;,  ■  "'I'jisii.na lly  eeini'iiled  inli.  a  euii-lonierale  and  -i.iiie- 
times  jissi.i'ialeij   .villi  sjimls  and  silN. 

"  'I'he  line  l.iitween  llie  Imilel'i.'ll  derived  I'l'l. Ill  tlieea-l  .'ind  that  I'l.lnili- 
rri.m  tin,'  west,  is  here  dniwii  ;il  the  l.a.M;  nfthe  hmildi'i'il;!  y  ;  iil.i.ve  llnU 


■  I'l     «..  M.  h.wvso.N — (.i,.\(  lAi,  inj'usrrs  OK  s()i'iii\vi>ri:i;N  .\i.i;i:ur.\. 


Imri/iiii  ciislcni  ^'iicissic  and  limrstMiii'  lioiildcrs  and  pdilili's,  llir  latl.  r 
olii  II  striated,  arc  (•Kninion,  Init  no  rorUs  of  undnnlitrd  western  nri^dn 
were  (>liS(  rveil.  The  lieds  ol'  well  rounded  <|llart/ile  |irlii)les  lieliiw  the 
iioidder-elay,  on  the  other  hand,  are  derived,  so  far  as  Unown,  entirely 
I'roi  the  wc-l ,  altlion'_di  they  may  here  in  pai't  rejiresent.  ri'distrilinted 
M  ioeene  eon .:  I  on  le  rates  like  those  ol' the  ( 'v|iress  hills,  whieli  were  hroiij^ht 
down  from  tin'  nioimtains  in  Miocene  times. 

■■  Twenty  milc^  alio\e  the  Ulackl'oot  crossin;,'  or  1 7o  miles  alio\'e  .Medi- 
cine Hat.  where  the  next  section  was  i'.\aniined,  the  conditions  have 
entirely  c|iaiii;('(|.  At  this  |)arti<-nlar  place  the  nndcrlyinj.'  L'ravels  an; 
aliscnt  and  the  lioulder-chy  holds  hoth  eastern  and  we-tern  drill  inli- 
niatcly  eomminulcd  ihronuhont,  |)el)i)les  of  nnmi<iakal>le  i.aurentian 
;:neisses  and  well  characl(M'i/,ed  l{o<'ky  .Mountain  limcstoni'S  often  lyiu'i 
side  hy  -ide  in  the  same  hand  s|ie<'i men.  The  relative  |iro|iorl ions  of  the 
two  di'ifts  at  this  point.  H to  n dies  cast  of  the  mount ain>,  mcasuiim;  alon^ 
the  valley  of  the  r.ow,  ari'  nearly  ei|ual.  I  n  desccndini:  I  he  river  wi'Slern 
ilrifl  of  a  rcidirui/.alilc  eharai'tcr  iiives  out  in  the  l»oulder-c|ay  licfons  .Medi 
cine  Hat  is  reached. and  in  ascend IulmL  the  eastern  dr'!'  ■  idu.ally  <!inMn- 
ishes   in   i'cl,iti\c  (|iiantily  and   disa|i|)ears  alto;retlii  ,\i'  (al'j,iry,  Ht 

miles  ea-t  of  the  mountains,  or  aJtout  •")<•  nnlcs  if  the  i.ow  \alley  he  fol- 
|(»Wed. 

'■  'l'wi'nty-li\'e  miles  altovc  the  IJlacki'oot  ci-ossinu''  a  houldcr-clay  -eel ion 

1  in  feet    ill  thick  II  e~^  is  e\  posed  .       'I'lie  1  louldcr-chiy  is  here  -.e|  i:i  r,i(  cd   illlo 

an  upper  ami  lower  divisioi:  hy  a.  hand  of  stratified  sands,  the  lower 
hoiildei'-clay  heiir.'  ilarker  eolor'ed  iha.n  the  upper  oint  and  dill'criiiL'  from 
it  also  in  containing;  a  lar;_'er  proportion  of  western  drift.  The  junction 
hetwceii  the  two  1  louldcr  c|ii,ys  is  not  straiudit,  hut  follow-  an  irrciiular 
wavy  liiii;. 

"At  i'iiic  canyon.  ciLilit  miles  a  hove  tin;  last  section,  the  I, a  ramie  sand- 
stones are  overlain  hy  the  Saskatchewan  gravels  10  feel  I  hi<k.  .iliove 
which  is  a  pcriiliar  nioi'ainic-lookin'/ deposit  In  feet  thick.  <-onsistin'j  of 
angular  hlocks  ol'  Laramie  sandstone  of  local  origin,  ^uici^scs  and  lime- 
stones from  the  east  and  limestones  and  <|Uart/,ites  from  thcwc-^t.ajl 
ini.\ed  eoiil'usedly  tou'ether  ill  a  matrix  of  coarse  sand  and  clay. 

'■  l'"oUr  miles  iihove  the  last  exposure  the  hollldcr-cliiy,  here  oO  feet, 
thick,  rests  directly  on  the  older  r<ieks.  The  ratio  of  ea-tern  to  western 
drill  in  this  exposiiie  was  I'stimated  at  ahoiit  I  or  2.  .\  notahlc  featiirt' 
of  the  section  is  the  presence  in  it  of  a  ^^fiieissie  houlder  of  eastern  ori^rin 
measurin'j  fully  three  j'cet  in  dia meter.  'I"he  ordinary  si/c  of  the  eastern 
pchhli's  in  the  hoiilder-clay  aloiit;  this  portion  of  the  river  schloin  cxci'cds 
three  inehi's  in  diameter. 

"Two  miles  ahovu  th(;  mouth  of  IIi}'h\vu(jd  river  the  .Saskiitiln;waii 


;v  .\i,i;i:kr.\. 

I'll'S  tlir  liltl.T 

Mi'S   licluw   llii: 

">wii,  ciitiri'ly 

ri'ilislriliiilcil 

I  WfVf  lii-i)ii:j-|it 

■^  iiIh)\c  Mcili- 

ll'lilirillS     llJIVI! 

'■I'll  (Irirt  iiili- 
'•  l.:iurciili:iii 
IS  nl'lcii  lyiiiM- 
'irlidii-i  of  the 
:i>iiriiii^  ;iloii;r 
I'ivcr  wc-ilcrii 

■  lii'lnr'c  .Mc(|i 
lii.'illy  'liiiiiii- 

■  <'a|i;;iry,  10 
i-allcy  l.c  fiil- 

•-flliy  section 

•paralcil  iiilo 
S,  tlic  InwiT 
i  111 'I'll  I 'J-  In  HI  I 

I'lll^  illlirlioil 

••111  iiTcL^iilar 

Lraiiiic  saiid- 
liifk,  alictvc 

•'iiisisliiiL'-  ol' 

■s  ami  liiiic- 
Ik'  \\f<\,  ail 

lay. 

IllTl.'    ■)M   i'ffl 

I  \i>  wcslcrii 
I  Mi:  fcaUire 

strni  ()li;.MIl 

tin:  caslcrii 

1)111  (■\c(.(.(|s 

il<atc|i(;\vaii 


SKCTioNs   IN   I'.ow   i:tvi:i;   v,\i.i,i:v. 


fiS 


L'l'avcls  a|i|pr;ir  aL'aiii.  Tlicy  cuiisisl  mostly  of  roiimliil  .|iiarl/it(;  pdililcs 
ami  lioiijilcrs,  raiiifiiiL!-  in  si/c  iVom  one  Ui  twelve  iiiehes  in  ilinnietcr.  ami 
liave  a  liiiekiH'ss  o!'  ei^lii  j'eet.  '|"|ie  |,ei)l)|cs  inerea~e  in  size  toward  tin- 
lia-c  of  the  lonnatioii.  The  lMinli|er-c|;iy  uhnvi:  the  ;.'ra,vel  IidMs  occa- 
sional j.Miei-sic  pehliles,  hut  tli<'y  are  small  ami  scarce. 

'■  'I' wo  mile-:  III  love  the    i;i<t    e\|io-nre  the    |ieliMe  lieil     pii^es   into  iliirk 

I'lays  tilled  with  -tones  of  western  ()ri;_dii  only.  .Mmve  this  is  170  feel  of 
hoidder  cl.'iy,  .alternatinL^  in  places  with  sandy  layers.  ,\  mile  helow  the 
month  ol  i''ish  creek  the  m-|-jivcIs  rea|i|(ear,  hnt  are  re|. laced  ;i  mile  ahove 
i'i-h  creek  hy  stralilied  sands.     Two  miles  larther  on  the  sands  pn-s  into 

■jr.'IVeU  ;iM;iii|,  |    tlieSe  eontinill!    to  Underlie  the    holdder-el;i  v  a-   far  a~ 

('al'j:iry.  West  of  llii/hwood  river  the  weslci'ii  ^iravels  nnderhin^  the 
hoiil(ler-c|;i,y  consi-t,  of  limestone  ami  (|iiart/ite,  the  proporlion  and  si/e 
"'  'I'l'  lormer  increasin^^  as  the  mountains  are  approjiched.  hut,  e;isl  of 
Ilivhwood  river  they  are  composed  almost  entirely  of  .|ii;irt/,ite.  The 
^'radual  diminulion  in  size  of  the  linK'sfonc  |iehliles  jmd  their  linal  dis- 
app.'a-anci'  to  the  e;ist,.  while  the  (|nartzit,e  constituents  still  .•ontimie,  is 
no  doll  hi,  due  to  their  inferior  hai'dness  and  conse.|iii'nt  ina.hilit  v  to  ,-land 
Ihe  we.ir  .iltendanl  on  a  lenL't-hy  jonrney  under  the  con.lilions  in  which 
it   was  acconi|ilislie(|. 

■■'i'lie  .Saskatchewan   ;.'ravels  and   associated    sands  and   ilavs   in  the 

'"•i^''''""'li I   III'  l''ish  cri'ck   a,re  everywhere  overlain    hy  houldi'r-cla vs 

holdiii'i  scnitched  liniestdne  and  (jnartzite  pehhles  and  honlders  from  tin; 
we-l.  ;ind  at,  r.ai'e  inter'vals  small  ^.rniMssic  pehhles  from  the  e;isl.'' 

In  my  own  ilesceni  of  I'.ow  river,  in  lS.S|,iit,lcntion  was  chielly  devoted 
lo  the  mnh'i'lyin'j  rocks,  huf  t.o  the  ahove  description  hy  .Mr  .Mc(  'onnell 
il  niay  hi:  a<lded  that  the  existence  of  Ihe  S.askatchewan  irravels,  though 
oh,-cnred  hy  slides,  was  suspected  at  .some  |, luces  helow  Ihe  i;la<-kfoot 
eiossin'j-.'-  Ahove  tin;  erossin;^:  these  ;ira.ve|s  jippe.ir-M.metimes  at  the 
water-level  ;ind  sonietimo.s  !it  lici^rhts  from  20  to  (io  feet  aho\e  it,  hut  it 
is  prohahle  that  if  earofi  ily  looked  for  they  mi^iht  he  recoo||i/,,,,|  j^t  short 
intervals  all  the  way  down  to  .Me(licine  Hat. 

.\t  Calvary,  on  the  north  side  of  How  river  ahoul  a  mile  helow  the 
hridiri', a  very  instructive  and  cli'ar  section  occurs.  This  had  heen  exam- 
in<Ml  hy  Mr  .MeConnell  in  LS'JO,  ami  was  in  \s'.)\  •■.■irefully  rerxainined  hv 
that  jrentleman  and  myself.      It  shows  in  descend  in;.'  order:  i' 

Fill 

I.    Irn'i.'iil;ir  ile|M..<ils  (iftrriivel  and  silty  soil 

L'.  .<tr,ililiei|  wil|,<,  witli  s.iine  leiiticiilur  iiiyeis  of  lM.iildi>r-cliiy  ;  siri.ileil  s'omi'S 

iuid  SI  1 1,1  II  I II  millers  in  he  ill  i •>-, 


*  lli'liort  III'  I'l-DKi-i'SM,  (Ji.,,!.  Siirvi^y  III'  C^iNii'la,  l.s.HJ  ',k|,  |,|,.  m  < ',  I  !_' 
t  KIrviilioii  III  l)iiM(!  Dr.siM'iidii,  :i,:i!iii  iVia. 


n  1       (1.  M.  DAWSON — (il.Acr.M,  DKI'OSITS  i>K  SOITirWKSTKUN'  AMUCUTA. 


.'!.    I!iiiililci'-i-liiy,  willi  SDiiit' sinitilifil  silly  hiyrrs  aiid  iiclililcs  luriiiiu'i'cl  in  iiiio.s 

ipfstriililicatiiiii .  .    :>() 

4.  (iravfls \:^ 

•").    I,ariiiiii(>  saiiilstdiics  ami  sliaii's.  iicarlv  linrizniital L'") 


100 


n  *  - 

IZ 

* 



?  ^  rr 

"o 

o 

TTT.u^ 

1^= 

_»__ 

-   P  J! 

~ 

-   ■    ■       ^ 



-- 

_o  _ 

o'.-a  I'-'L  iJol--; 


■   I'l  I,' 


Tlu'  rnllowiiiL;-  details,  written  down  at  the  time,  I'nrtiier  e\|iluin  wliat 

is  seen  in  tiiis  interestinij;  seetinn.     'I'll"  order  I'oi- 

ft2ai3w.4winur.-ilj  ^      lowed  is  tliat  ()l'de|(osit ion.  lieuinniiij;  witii  llie  Imse 

^^     of  the  sei'tion:  The  surfaec!  of  the   liiiraniie  rocks 

where   coinposed    of    I'aiiiy    liard    sandstones     is 

Di    sniootii  and  waterwoi'n  without   any  L;hu'i:ii  sti'ia-. 

Kestinti  directly  upon  tliis  are  rather  incoliereiit 

*     lii'avi'ls  witli  a  consideniMc  admixture  of  clayey 

or  silty  matter.     All  the  stones  are  derived   iVoni 

the  m<iuntains.  and  most  oi"  them  ai'e  ((Uartzites 

(some   IS  inches  tiirouirh),  l)Ut   Uockv   .Mountain 

liniestont'  is  also  aliundant.     Nearly  all  are  well 

rolled  an<l  rounded,  l)Ut  careful  search  shows  traces 

of  >triation   on   some   of   the   limestone   nelililcs. 

'riieso  appear  to  have  lieen   produced   upon  the 

already  rounded  stones  and  to  have  heen  lariroly 

oMiterated  afterwunls  hy  further  wear,     'i'here  is 

A     little  or  no  trace  of  stratilication   in   the  gravels, 

which  resendile  more  the  deposit  found  in  the  l>:irs 

or  heil  of  some  river  than  anything  t'lsi'. 

'I'he  gravels  ai'c  cut  oil'alxtve  sharplv  on  a  nearl  v 

,i//i„:,A-i;ri  iirtii  r,i/f;.ii  V.    Icvei  plane.  aiHive  wliicn  IS  a  hard  yellowisn  ti'ray 

.1     i.;iiaiiiifrocks.  houMcr-clav,  ofteu  standiuii'  vertical   in   the   Win' 

'■'.     ;^^'>i^'"^>H»^">K'-:,v.]s.   ,„„il.reakin-out  in  prismatic  frai^nients.  This  en- 

layiis.  tains  many  well  striated  stones  and  small  l)oul(l- 

j>  - -.tiatiiKMi  silts  contain.  ^^^,,^_  .,,,,|  ^i„,\v.^  occasional  lines,  runuin--  for  a  few 

ins    (  /'O    .a   layer  of  i      i         ■  n  ■    ■  i   i   i      '  i 

iioiiidci-ii.ay,  leet  or  yards  horizontally  ot  line  pelihles  and  sand, 

/.     suriacc    giaveis    anil  ,,,•  of  silt,  wliicli  is  sli.ulitly  li,L,diter  ill  color  thlUl  tlio 

soil.  .'.'..'  .  . 

rest.  I  he  v;ist  niMJority  ol  tlie  stones  are  from  tlu; 
mountains,  hut  a  very  few  l,aurentiaii  istones  are  included.  Therti  is  no 
markecl  dilVereiice  hetweeii  the  earthy  material  of  the  ^navels  and  that  of 
the  mass  of  the  h(»uldor-clay,  except  that  the  latter  is  more  compacted, 
and  the  jrravels  miuht  in  fact  well  he  ret;arded  as  as[iecies  of  houider-clay 
or  a  closelv  allied  deposit.  The  lioulder-clay  prohahly  varies  from  10  to 
2(1  feet  in  thickiu;ss  within  a  few  hundred  feet. 

The  upiter  jiart  of  the  houlder-clay  heeoiuos  more  interstratilied  with 


Kiin'KK  .).— .S'<v7/«//  ///  /.'i 


;N'  AMiKItTA. 

i,Lr»''i  ill  lini'H 

:.!() 

I.") 

1'.") 

100 

('X|iliiiii  what 
Til"  order  fnl- 

i:  with  the  l>;lS(' 

Ijiirainif  I'ocks 
■iiiiidstoiics  is 
'  jilacia!  stria". 
VI-  iiiciilirrciit 
uro  (if  ('lu\'(:v 
•  li'rivrd  tVoni 
ii'c  ([Uartzitcs 
l<y  .Aroiiiitaiii 
V  alt  arc  well 
1  shows  tracrs 
tone  pL'hhlcs. 
ed   U[ion   th(! 

been  largely 
'!ir.     Thcic  is 

tiic  Liruvcls. 
id  ill  tile  l«ars 
Ise. 

y  on  a  nearly 
iiowish  yrav 

in  the  lace 
ts.  This  con- 
small  hould- 
iii.u'  lor  a  few 
es  and  sand, 
;)lorthan  the 
are  from  the 

TheiH!  is  no 
i  and  Miat  of 

com|)acted, 
)oulder-clay 
s  from  10  to 

atiliod  with 


SKCTIuNS    IN     now    |;|\i;it    \AI,l,l:V.  f).' 

silts  and  it  thus  parses  up -radually  into  the  next  iiiemi.cr  of  the  section, 
which  forms  nearly  the  entire  uppi^r  part  .,f  the  hank.  The  silts  over- 
lyin-  the  l.oulder-clay  aiv  yellowish  -ray  in  color,  well  licdde.l  and  iVe- 
qu.'utly  show  minute  cross-heddin-  hetwceii  the  more  prominent  hori- 
zontal planes.  They  vary  a  little  in  tint  and  lliieiiess  and  sometimes 
iiielu<le  layers  two  or  three  iiicnes  thick.  ,.f  hrownish  color  and  leatherv 
texture,  composed  of  almost  paperdike  leaves.  (Uaciated  stones,  some- 
times large,  occur  here  and   there  throughout  the  silts,  and  they  also 

""■''"''■  "^  ^''i-^  l'l=i' '>("  or  more  layers  of  a  few  feet  thick  which  are 

iiiarke.lly  st,,ny.  not  very  distinctly  stratilied  and  diller  in  no  material  re- 

^! '  ''■•;'"  t'"'  l>oidder-clay  except  that  they  aiv  so what  less  c..herent. 

r/mreiitian  fra-mcnts  hcome  iiicreasiiiulv  iVe.pient  toward  the  top  of 
the  silts,  hut  are  iu,-vcr  ahundant  at  this  place.-- 

.\i)ove  the  l.rid-e  and  ah.iut  a  mile  distant  another  hank  shows  these 
silty  <h'posits  restiii-  diivdly  on  the  Iow<m' -rawls  without  anv  l.oulder- 
clay. 

It  is  here  ipiite  clear  that  the  l.ouIder-<lay  and  silts  represent  a  siii-le 
deposit  which  took  place  under  v.iryin--  conditions  and  in  which  tlio 
l)oulder-(lay  forms,  hn.adly  spcakin-  lenticular  masses,  not  persistent 
and  not  characteristic  of  any  particular  horizon  or  c(H'xteiisive  with  the 
le.uion  of  deposit.  The  section  is  as  a  whole,  moreover,  that  of  a  series  of 
stratilied  deposits,  in  which  evidences  of  tumultuous  deposit  and  ol.scure 
heddin- occur  only  in  the  case  of  the  l„,ulder-clay  and  the  underlying 
gravels. r 

Heyon.l  Calgary.  .Mr  .McConnell  writes  .is  follows  of  the  .sections  along 
till'  river  : 

'•  Four  miles  ahove  Calgary  the  glacial  deposits  consist  in  descending 
or.lerof  ;;  feet  of  gravel  and  soil.  S  f,.,.l  sill.  -J  feet  hoiildcr-cla v,  1  1  feet 
silt  and  20  feet  of  gravelly  l.oulder-clay.  Xo  eastern  pel. hies  are  found 
in  this  section,  nor  were  any  fomid  in  the  valley  of  the  I'.ow  west  of  Cal- 
gary, notwithstanding  the  fact  that  three  ndles  t",.  the  northwest  boulders 
of  l.aurcntian  origin  occur  on  the  summit  of  tin'  \os(!  hills  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  .').")()  feet  ahove  the  river  at  this  p(.iiit  (;!,!t;M  feet  above  sealevel).|- 

*Tli.!  l.oiil,U..M.hiy  in  this  H.vli,,,,  i.  ,.vi.|,.,itl.v  W ,   ||„.  "  louv,-- ,„■  "  M,,|H.r  "  l.oiil.ler  rlav  oT 

tl.o  pNuns.  HoiiM.'i'-Hi.y  li,>l,lin«  ,.„.|.t.i  .i„i„.s  is  .hiv  vcr,,^nw.,:\  r„r  tl,.'  I,,~.  t  ,„„  in  iippn.i,.),- 
iiiK  till!  iiioiiiiliiins  li.v  tlii'  llow  valli-.v. 

t  It   Illil.V  hfl-C  ll..  llut.Ml    lliat  U  -..■rljoll   i.I..Mti,Ml    ill  rl,:,nirt..|-  «ith   Unit  ...t  C:.IlMIV  h:m    sjni',.    Im.,.11 

cxiiiiiiiuMl  lit  ICli.iimton,  on  tli..  S„.li:,t,.li,.w.iii,  i, t  -joii  miU.s  i„„-tli,  iu.,vi-|v  i„  tlii.  sain..  ioni;iii„l,. 

and  lit  im  ..jcviitiiin  of  about  •.',■•(».  f,.,.t.  Tim  Sasl;atcl„..vaM  ki'iivlIs,  sparin,,'lv  ilnvlop..,!  aiv  Ii.m-o 
I'oviMv.l  l.v  All  |,.,.t  or  nioi'o  of  alt.Tiiatin-  lioiil,l,.|--i.|iiy  alul  well  stnitili.-,!  silts.  Tlio  l.oiil,l,.|-<'liv 
oiMMifs  in  lay,.|soie»o,tliiv.-  or  inoro  TfLt  in  tlii.-Unoss.  Most  of  tli,.  stonos  are  inHn,l..,|  in  it,an,"l 
then.  an.  t.aiiroiilian  ami  \vi. stein  In  pi-oportioiis  lospri'tivoly  of  uhiiiil  1  to  ^ 

JKaiiitIv  inipivss,.,!  i..rni,...s,  lik,.  tlios '  tli..   I'oiviipin.'.s.  ocriir  at  scn-ral   lovHs  u.ion  the 

oastovn  slopu  ol  tins  plateau,  thr-  l,,.st  iiiarke.l  at  a  h..ii;lit  of  al.oiit  :),!liii.  leet. 


Vlll-liui.i,.  (Jkoi..  9or.  Am.,  Vol.   7,   l.s.;i,-,. 


wjme/m 


'>C)      c.  M.  D.WVSOV — (ir^AfTAI.  DKIMHITS  Ol"  SomtWKSI'KliN   A  Mll-IM'A  . 

■'  I'liulit  miles  ;il)(>v("  Cilifiiry  ;i  sc<'ti(H\  sliowiiiu'  tlii'  I'ollnwiii'.'  sci|iii'iic(' 
Wiis  cximiiiicil  : 

I.  Soil  im,l  sill- I,-) 

•J.  Cliiy  Willi  hiycis  (il'silt ID 

I!.  (  il;i\illy  sMlids .") 

■I.  Slralilic'l  siimls 4 

•").  ( iiiivilly  l)ipiilcliT-cliiy (1 

(I.  Vcll.iuisli  sainis 10 

m 

'■  'I'lic  cluy  (mimlicr  •'  ■  nil'ilyin^  tlic  ti|>|i<'r  silt<  i<  iicciiliar  ami  was 
not  iiliscrvcil  lartlirr  ca-.!.  it  is  lii.'stitutc  df  straiiHi'atioii.  liiilit  MiH'  in 
ciilor  on  a  iVi'sli  sui'lnri'.  vi  ry  coiniiact  aiiij  hi^iily  calrarcoiH.  It  proli- 
alily  n'|ir('-('iits  the  liiir  iiiati'i-iai  iiroiluccd  Ky  i.'I.ii'icr  (■ro>ioii.  soitni  iVoiii 
the  roarsc  ]iroilucts,  ami  canicil  eastward  I'V  lihuaal  streams  until  the 
lessciiiiin;  euiTciit  or  ii  lake  hiisiii  alloweil  its  (le|iositioii.  The  silts  over- 
lyinii  it  liiive  the'  eliaraeters  of  a  lal<e  (|e|iosit. 

"  I'"our  miles  lielow  ('oehraiie  (•">ii  miles  iVom  the  mountains)  a  seeliou 
shows  the  same  ^laeiiil  el.'iy  rel'erreij  to  alio\e,  festint;  on  lioulili'r-<'l:iy  and 
overhnii  l>y  silts.  The  lioulder-elay  aloim  tiiis  part  ol'  tlie  river  ranges  in 
tiiieUness  from  'jn  lo  |(»  I'eet  ami  I'oiisjsts  of  a  li'jlit  dral>  colored  sandy 
clay  lilleil  with  striateij  ami  roundei]  |ielililes  ami  houldei's  of  limestone 
and  i|Uartzite.  It  is  sejiarated  in  |tlaees  iVoni  the  overlyiiiL;-  line  day  hy 
Hamly  ami  gravelly  lieds,  hut  in  others  nieru'es  ;:radually  into  it.  'I'lic 
line  clay,  like  the  liouliler-clay.  is  variaMe  in  thickness,  ran'.:in'..;  from  lo 
tooiM'eet.  It  holds  a  few  scattered  |pclil)les.  which  an;  often  ;_d;iciated. 
and  arc  occasionally  I'ound  in  .an  u|iri'.iht  |iosition  and  at  vai'ioiis  anules 
to  llie  jthine  ol"  the  deposit — a  fact  proiiahly  ilue  to  their  havimx  lieeii 
(ln»|i|icd  iVom  lloiitiiiL' ice.  'I'he  silts  have  a  thickness  here  of  ahoiit  liMt 
f(>et.  They  e.vhihit  curved  crossdieddiim.  rcscmliliiii;  the  kiml  known  as 
ilow-and-pluiiL^e  structure,  i!XC((|>tti»at  the  curved  layers  a  re  short,  seldom 
oxeee.diiiji  si.v  iiKrlies  in  lenjitli,  and  tin,'  surfaces  are  concave  upward. 
I'clihh's,  sonu!  of  which  an?  striateil,  occur  tlimui^dioul  tlio  section  and 
lumps  of  clay  are  found  at  intervals. 

'•  Opposite  Cochi'ane  the  liouldL'i'-clay  has  a  tiiic^kness  of  1  •_'■")  feet.  ,\t 
the  mouth  of  the  .lunipiiiif  i'oiuid.  three  miles  farther  up,  it  is  much 
thinner,  ami  is  overlain  liy  Hood-plain  univels.  Half  a  mile  helow  <  iliost 
river  the  houlder-clay  is  overlain  i)y  in  feet  of  coarse  sands  and  gravels, 
alxtve  which  is  "JO  feet  of  river  wasli. 

"  Knim  this  point  to  the  mountains,  a  distance  of  ahout  "JO  miles,  the 
l)ouliler-clay  has  ix'cm  washed  away  in  most  places  and  the  older  nicks 
are  coV(!red  directly  with  river  gravels.  Small  sections,  however,  oeiair 
iit   Morlev,  1">  miles  cast  of  the  mountains,  m.'ar  the  mouth  of  a  creek 


■«■   AI.I'.KIiTA. 

ill'^f    SC(|llC||C(' 

F..-I. 
I.". 
II) 

."» 

I 

l> 
10 

,S(I 

li;ir  Mini  \v;is 

i'^llt    lilllr    ill 

i>.      It    i.roli- 

,  SiPl'tcil   iVolll 

IIS  until   IIk; 

ir  silts  1 1  Vt 'T- 
IS )  ;i  section 
liT-chiy  mill 
IT  i';iiii:('s  ill 
Inrcd  smikIv 
>r  liiiusloiic 
line  ehiy  l>y 
itc  it.  The 
iiiu  iVoiii  j.") 
n  L^aciiiteil, 

riiilis  Hll;j|es 
avillu'  lieell 
I'llliout    101) 

•  I  kiKiwii  as 

Kll't,  Selildlll 

ve  upwaril. 
■eetioii  and 

!•")  feet.  At 
it  is  niiirli 
elow  <  illdst 
ml  ji;raveis, 

•  miles,  the 
ildei'  niek.s 
ever,  occur 

of  a  cnx'k 


"KCTKiNS    IN    |;(i\V    KIVKK    VAI.I.KY. 


r.7 


ImI'iw  old  |!ow  fort,  and  [.ossiMy  also  at  other  places,     '{"lie  river  here  is 
uiiii.ivi'/al)|e  and  was  not  closely  e.\aniiiie(|. 

••  I'.HW  river,  in  its  passaire  thi-nii-h  the  fo,, (hills  and  lor  some  .li^lan.^e 
l-eywnd.is  l„.iinded  l.y  wide  tei-raees  lloord  with  river -ravels,  which  rise 
ill  .111  irn-nlar  manner  to  a  hei-ht  (.f  ai.oiil  i.'.")i)  feet  Mhove  il.  'I'raees 
J'f  lirraces  exist  .it  lii-hcr  eh.vations,  hut  the  lines  are  not  .'o  .tiniioiis. 
'I'll"'  accompanying  illustration  shows  the  outline  of  the  valley  a  mile  west 

ol"  .Morlev. 


■^ 


k                                          Mo.a.n.,    •,«,,. 
•S  ic...  »„ 1 


X    u 


lUki 

4JttO 
4HMi 
4(HXi 


Hurtjontai    Sr^i/r 


Sl.nu-inw  th..  pnm-ii.al  I.  n.-u-r,  thr.M.^l,  nhirl,  mon.ink-  ri.l^^rs  v.oj.vt  a.Hi  in  uln.h  liu 
pn-M-Mt  nv.r  vMlry  has  Ik-.  „  .x.aval,  -1  si.  v  tlu-  r.h.rial  jK-no,!.  At  .mm  Mo„,.  hanmur  wa^ 
"-nnl  M.  an  .A.av,.t...„  in  .1..-  «ravtis.  an.i  i.  is  h.Ii.v..!  to  In-  rnMt.n.poran.  u„.  with  Ihr  fi.rn.a- 
linii  111  Uic  Mii:ill   rivii  l.ir.irf   iiiclicilt  d. 


••  From  C.chnine  west  to  th.;  mountains  a  numiier  of  nmunds  and 
lid-es,  evidently  oriiiorninic  oriLMii.  project  throiiu-h  the  terr.aces  an-l  are 
^' •""'■'■'•'I  "I""-  'I"'  >l"l'<-^  "I'  the  valley  to  a  liei-ht  of  al.out  .'KHI  r,.ct. 
The  rid-es  arc  n^ii.dly  several  hundivd  yanls  in  I, .null,,  .-.o  f,,,,t  ,„•  |„orc 
ill  liei-hl.  and  as  n  rule  arc  ..itli..r  parallel  or  inclined  at  a  small  aii-le  t.i 
thecourM.  olthe  Valley.  .\,  .Morley  station  such  ri.l-csand  hills  occupy 
a  e'lntiniioiis  area  of  lully  a  s«piare  111110.=*= 

••'I'he  drill  rid-cs  are  usually  covered  with  vc-vtation  and  natural  sec- 
tions throuLih  lln.ni  are  s-'arcc.     TIh-  l.est  .se(.ti,.ns  e.\;imi I  were  louiid 

in  sonic  r;ulway  ciittiii.irs  half  a  mile  west  ..f  .Morley.  The  e.xp.isures  hen; 
consist  olhiird  hoiilder-..|ayor  a  li-ht  drah  color,"lill..d  with  pcl,l,|esand 

i'ouhlers  <,r  liniesloiK;  and  (piartzKc.      The  p..l,h|es  seld,.ni  ex .d    three 

inches  in  diameter,  and  wliih;  some  of  them  are  rounded  and  water-worn 

•''■"'-"■  l"-"|i"i'ti iiv  polislu.'d  and  striat.'d.      in  (.omposition  the  <lrilt 

ridires  suiucst  <lruinlins  rather  tli.an  ordinary  moraines,  hut  iVoni  their 
position  there  seisms  to  he  little  douht  th.at  "they  were  (h't-osited  jit  the 
•  •xtivmity  and  aloii.-r  the  side  of  the  |!ow  lliver  .ulacicr.  (Jlaeial  -nx'V- 
in-s.  evidently  ivlerahle  to  the  l'.ow  Valley  -lacier,  were  found  on  the 
slopes  of  l'.ow  valley  south  of  .Morley  :,t  a  liciuht  of  .".HO  f,.et  nhove  the 
river  or  ahout  -JliO  feet  ahove  the  morainic  ridires  just  (l(..serihed." 

lievertiuir   io  the  section  acios.s  tho    la.w  valley  ahove  trivcii   hy   Mr 

Ml.  Hi.jKjil  111'  I'mnrHNM,  Ucol.  .Siirvry  ul  Ciiniula,  l^.sij-'sl,  p   He  c. 


TtS     (i.  M.  hwv^oN — (ii,\('i  \i,  i)i:r(»-.|  IS  oi'  soi  iiiwi^riiUN  .\i,i;i:i!I'a. 

M(!( '(illlicll,  il  lil.iy  111'  :ii|i|(i|  lli.'il  t  III'  ^iiinr  |i|'ili<i|p.il  \Vli|r  IciTiicc  I  licl'i; 
sliuwil  I'V  III  III  rli\  r|i(|>ili''  I  hi'  nil)  I'll  iiiii'  riilLM'^  \\;i^  |p;irlirlll;i||\-  nli-rr\i'il 
liv  iiir  in  l"^>ll  ;it  ;i  |M)iiil  .ilniiil  -i\  milc-i  mrllicr  ii|i  the  \;illcy,  willi  :iii 
('|r\,iriiill   111:11111111     l.-H>l  I'l'd.        Ill   my    iimIc  liunk    il    I-   Mill-  i  lisri'il  in  I  : 

"  'I'll  is  I  lii'lii'll  I  is  sc'NiTmI  Miilo  U  i'lc-  ;|||<I  iicrills  nil  I  mill  >ii|r^  i  if  I  In'  liver.  il  is 
s{ilii|y,  >,'l;i\  I'llv  Ml' -I'liiy  nil  I  hi'  -iii  I'lii'i'  ;iiii|    i-   hni    ;i    liver  III  rare,  Iml    niilsl  Iimm- 

Ih'i'Ii  rnriiirij  wiii'ii  \\:ili'i'  ~l I   :i'jaiii~l  ihc   ill' iiinl.i iii<  al  il>   icvcl,  llii'  river  Iriiiii 

the  |i:i>s  111!  iIuiiIpI  111  iiijiii'j  li'.w  II    I  he  iiialerial       ll~l(\i'lal    Muilev-  i-  almiil    l,n:;u 

feel  ,    L'ivillL'  M   s|M|.e   ll|i\\  al'^l    luWal'l    the    Ue-I    cil    llcarK    :ln   II  (■)    III   I  he  mile." 

lleviewillLi  liie  -ei'liiHM  alVnI'ileil  liy  I'.uW    li\  i  T.  I  he  |  il'i  I  ii'i  |  i.'i  I   fail  s  s|  in\v  )  ( 

iiy  ilieiii  :ire  ~iiiiiiii;iii/.e'l  ;i>  liillipus  liy  Mr  .Me( 'iiiniell  : 

"  I'' I'll  II I  the  iiiniiiilaiiis  ea-l  I')  ( 'ill 'J :  liy  till'  'jlai'ial  i|e|iii^its  MIT  el  ill  rely 
i>r  wcslei'ii  III'  liieal  iiri'jiii  ;iiii|  i'ip|i~i--l  nf  I  n  ill  |i  |i 'f  ila\s  pa^siiiii;  ueriisinii- 
iilly  iiiti)  L'r.'i\el>  ;iiii|  ii\  iihiiii  ill  |ilai'i'-  liy  Hue  ejneial    ehiys  mihI  sills. 

'■  l'];ist   III'  (';i!L:;iry  llie    inileil    '_!  IM  \  el --   ;iiii|    ;is-i«ei;ili'i|    I'lays   nml   siiiids 
wliirh  iiinlerlii'  I  lie  liiiuMer  I'lay  :iie  al-i)  uf  \\  I'slerii  nri'.iin.  ami  |iri)li;ilily 
r('|ireseiit ,  t'lirsiiim'   ili-laiue   al    least,  the  wa-h    <>(  ,-lriaiiis  lliiwim;'  e.-i-l 
ward  Iruiii  the  |ln\v   l!i\  it 'jiaeier. 

"  l''rniii  ( 'al'jary  III  a    |iiiiiil    heU n    lUaeklnnt    i'rii<siii'j  ami  .Meilieiiic 

llal  the  liipii|ilei'-e|ay  eiiiilaiii-  we-lrni,  lueal  ami  ea-li'i'ii  iiiateriiil.  the 
I'nriiii'i'  L;really  |iiei|iiiiiiiialiii'i  al  lir-l,  iiiit  'jiaihially  iliiiiiiiishimj-  in  rela- 

ti\i'  i|lialltily   tuW  anl    I  he  ea-l    lllllil     it     is    elllirely    l'e|il;ii'ei|     hy    the   lallef, 

SI)  far  al   lea -I  a-  il   is  ea|iali|e  nf  leeujuit  imi. 

'■    Till'  lllilil   /iille  e\tel|i|s   rriPlii   a    |ii)itil     aliiiM'     .Meiliiille    II  al  C'isl  W  ,Ui  I , 

ami  ill  it  III!'    liDiililer  elay .  sn  I'ar  as   kiinwii,  is   I'liliiely  nf  e.'is|"iii  .,r  nl' 

Ineal   lU'iliill. 

"  The  1 11  111  I  ill 'I'-e  lays  111  t  he  llliilille  allil  .  -I  en  I  /lilies  urailllati'  illtn  eaell 
iilher.  hill    the   fi'latiiillS    lielweell    the    llliiMIe    ami    \V(;strril    /lilies  are  le.:s 

clearly  ijeliiieil.  \{  ( 'al'jary.  I  he  iimst  westerly  |iiiiiil  al  whieli  iiiixeil 
hiiiililer  elay  wa::  rniiiiil.  il  is  iimlerlaiii  iiy  a  v:ra\elly  rlay  heil  ul'  western 
ori;jiii  similar  In  eerlaiii  pha-es  ,,['  the  western  hiuililerelay  ami  iMiilmilil- 
cilly  M,  ei)lltiniialiiill  111'  it.  imiililieil  |i  i  smne  e.xl  eiit  hy  water.  The  iiil'erinr 
|iiisiliiin  III'  this  heil  slmws.  that  part  al  least  nf  ihe  western  liril'l  was 
ili'|iiisiteii  liefiire  I  he  aih.eiit  iifaiiy  material  I'min  the  east;  hut.  wlielher 
the  whule  III'  it  was  laiil  ilnwn  prinr  Id  Ihe  eastern  invasiun  or  iint,  1  was 
iiiiiihic  In  a.scertain." 

Si  \i.M.\i!V   .\Mi   Disii  ssiiiN. 

Ill  coiicliKlin^f  this  |)a|ier,  whieli,  iieeanse  nf  a  wish  In  |iresent  uhserveil 
facts  ratlicr  than  any  tlienretieal  ileiliieliniis,  has  atlanicil  ennsiilerahlc 
len;;tli,  a.  lew  wmils  may  he  aiMdl  mi   the   mm-e  iilninus  iiiiieliisinns  to 

»(.'l'.  ;  ;il.sii  op.  111.,  p.  I  li;  (;. 


'  tcri'Mcc  llicic 

l.'llly  nlp-('|\('i| 
iillrv,  will)  :iii 
lr-Jcrilic(|  : 

I  lie  livii-,     li  is 

l>lll     lllllsl    \\A\I' 

,  I  111'  rivrr  (jdiii 
V  is  mImiiiI  l,n:i(l 
•  lllilr." 

II  l';irts  slitiWIl 

l>  HIT  riilirrly 
<illL,'  nccnsinli- 

s  ,'iii(l  sills. 
ys   :iiii|   s;:iiils 
.'iiiil   |ii'i ili:ilil \' 

llnw  ill^;   casl  • 

and    .Mrijiciiir 

ni.'ili'rial.  I  hr 
sliiiiu-  in  nla- 
l>y  the  latter, 

lal  rastwanl, 
casteiii  .ir  of 

llr  illtn  rarll 
lilies  are  le,;s 
llieji  liiixeil 
■■■\   111'  Wesleril 

ml  I'liiliiiilit- 

lie  ilifeliiir 

■II    ilril't    uas 

Hit-  wlietlier 

iir  lint,  1   was 


'lit   iilisel'ved 
nisi  (I  era  I  lie 

liejllsiilllS   til 


.siMMAItN     AMI    jiisn  SsliiN. 


;V,» 


lie  i|eri\'ei|    ri'iilM    lliese   facts    ami     llieir    illterrehllioll.       'I'lie-e  ecimlllsidllS 

are  |iraetieally  sm-li  a-  may  ijirerllv  lie  drawn  tVnin  llie  re'jinii  it-elf.  nut 
enni|ilii  ali'd    li\'    alleiii|ilei|    I'lirrelaliuii    with    di-lanl     lield-.    imi'    will    I 

\elillire  al  llie  |ire^elll  lillie  even  In  riini|iare  llieni  witll  a  -eheliie  iif 
lllaeial   e\ent<   in    the   west,    wlijili     lia-  a  heads'    lieeji    t  el  it  at  i  \ely    ad  \  a  need 

liy  me. 

As  ',ni|ilied  ill  Mr  .\|e( 'unneir^  -nmmary  nf  the  j'kiw  Itiver -eetimi, just 

^i\en.    it    may.    I    lielieve,    linW     lie    -laled     willl     eellaillly    tliat     the    eailiesi 

si'jii  (if  udaeial  eunditiuiis  met  with    in   sniithwe-terii    .Mhcria  is  fuiimi  in 

llie  evidence  cif   the  e\tensi(in  i  if  ij  laeie)-^    fmin    the     llneky    iiH  illllt  ai  l|s   t<i 

a  certain  disia  me  heyuiid  the  ha-e  111  that  raii'.'i'.  'I'lie-e  may  lia\e  re'iehcd 
iie.irly  III  ( 'al'jary,  in  I'mw  \  alley,  w  hieh  ha-  the  lai'jest  di'aiiiaLic  ha.- in  in 
the  n  Mill  nt  a  ins.  In;  I  were  much  less  euiisidcral  dc  farther  -nn  tli.  .\  hmilder- 
clay  was  at  this  early  lime  laid  dnwii  in  eiiiinectiuii  with  the-e  'jlaeiers, 
|iriilialily  in  |i:  ,1  as  a  -iih'jlaeial  de|in-il.  in  part  almi'.;  their  retreatin;_f 
iVniils  as  a  llii\  in  'jlaeial  de|iii-it.  The  latter  a-  it  is  fnlluwed  ea-tward 
iiradiially  ehaii'jes  intn  the  typical  Sa-kalehew  an  'jiaxcls.  in  iilaces  asso- 
ciated with  silty  III' sandy  heds.  Alt  the  drill  material  (if  t  his  static  is 
cither  liieal  I'l'  derived  fnini  the  llm  ky  iiiuinilain  -ide.and  it  is  |iriilialile 
that  the  liiiiildei-elay  111'  t  his  I  iine  i-  ad  nally  enniieeleil  with  the  mass 
111'  the  ninraine  rid'_'es  and  hills  uf  11. iw  \alley  and  tlin-e  fniind  friii;^iiii; 
the  niuiinlain-  in  |ilaees  farther  hi  the  sniilh. 

.\liii\e  the  Sa-katehewan  lifavels  rc-ts  the  lower  iMiiilder-elay  n\'  my 
iiri'j'nal  re{iiii't.  ciiiitainin^i'  mixed  drift  Inim  the  |,aiireiitian  |ilateaii  and 
\\'iiiiii|i("i  hasin  In  the  eastward  and  the  liueky  niiiiintains  mi  tiic  west. 
I'l'Siiiid  the  eliaiiiic  (if  eiinditiiiiis  ini|ilicd  hy  the  dill'ciint;- de|iiisils.  im 
cvideiiee  has  lieeii  fiiiind  In  sliiiw  that  any  lnlcj  time  ill|el\;il  (icelirred 
lietweeii  the  s|;|._rc  (if  ||ie  Saskatj'he wa II  L;ra\els  and  that  of  the  lower 
liuuldei'-clay  :  nor  can  it  he  delermiiied  to  what  extent  mountain  drift 
continued  to  he  sii|i|)lied  from  the  west  dnriiii!  the  deposition  of  this 
ho'ilder-clav.as  the  prcl'xi-l  iiii;  S.-i^kalchewaii  'jraxcls  ha\'e  c\  idcntly  he- 
conie  incorporated  with  it  in  places  to  ,'iii  nnkiiow  n  detircc. 

.\  I II  i\c  tills  hoi  lid  ei'-elay,  and  c\i  dene  ill;;  alt  om'l  her  dill'i'i'dit  conditions 
o\('r  a  tract,  at  least.  nO  miles  in  extent  from  cast  to  west  where  cut  across 
hv  the  I'.i'lly  river,  arc  well  stratilied  inter-laeial  deposits,  incliidin;^- 
loi"  My  a  thin  lied  of  liL'iiiti'. 

Sii cdiiin  the  inh'r^lucial  deposits  is  the  upper  lioiilder-clay,  which, 

like  the  lower,  contains  miiiLilcd  drift  of  caslern  .iiid  wcslci'n  orijiin. 
.\lio\('  this  and  lormiii'j  the  surface  of  the  plains  are  str.itilied  loamy, 
sill\',  saml\'  and  iiravclly  deposits,  which  appear  to  ha\('  hccn  l.iid  down 
ill  water  and  in  and  on  which  are  scattered  many  of  the  la r.;er  erratics 
met  witll  ill  lh(j  districl. 


<)()      (i.  M.  liAWsuN — (iI,A(  lAl.  I  ti;  I -OS  ITS  Ol'  SOI  TII\VI>  li:i!N   AM'.liKTA. 

\i  iili'iMily  iiiciirmiii'il,  it  [a  not  (•iTluinly  known  limv  fur  tln'  lower  :nul 
U|>|ii'r  lionliliTclays  of  tlic  iibins  or  citliiT  of  tln'ni  rxtcml  lo  tlic  west. 
Ilotli  :ii-i'  fonnil  :il  lii'tliliriil;.'!'.  <•'*  inilc-t  from  tli<-  nioiintiiins.  iiml,  it  tlit; 
line  oliscrvcil  in  sci-tiiHis  on  Ili'.'liwood  river  cornsiionils  with  tliis  divis- 
ion. Itotii  iiri'  tliori'  |»rfsi'nt  to  within  jiliont,  lo  miles  of  the  Imsc  of  the 

nionntains  Mini  :it  iin  neluiil  eleviition  of  .'l.TiKI  I'eet.     One  or  ti ther  of 

these  houhler-elays,  however,  extends  westward  alonix  the  Oldman  river 
heyond  the  longitude  of  the  l'oreii|iine  liills,  ami  at  least  as  far  west  as 
Calirarv,  on  l>ow  river,  and  there  is  sonu'  reason  to  helieve  that  it  is  tins 
n|i|>er  lioidder-el.iy  wliieh  is  ihns  most  widely  s|iread. 

Kes|)(!ctinif  theeonditions  indieateil  liy  tin-  various  deposits,  the  follow- 
inix  remarks  may  in  the  lirst  iilace  he  made: 

The  Saskatehewan  ^.'nivels,  in  their  eoniposition  and  ln'canse  of  the 
j,'reat  distance  to  which  they  have  heen  carried  from  the  mountains,  im- 
ply the  existence  at  the  time  of  their  formation  of  a  coiisiilerahle  east- 
ward slope  of  the  plains,  prohiihly  ;:reater  than  that  hy  which  tin;  same 
region  of  the  plains  is  alVecte<l  today.  'I'he  e.visteiKu;  of  silly  deposits 
and  sands  in  association  with  tln'in,  however,  shows  that  areas  of  slack 
water  or  lacustrine  conditions  must  in  some  phwes  have  occurred. 

The  interiilacial  deposits  liive  reason  to  l)elieve  that  at  the  time  of  their 
deposition,  as  elsewhere  explained,-'^  ut  least  a  (•onsideral)I(;  tniet  of  thu 
western  plains  had  hecome  practi<'iJly  horizontal. 

It  remains  uncertain  to  what  particular  period  suhseipieiit  to  tliat  of 
the  Saskatch(!waai  gravels,  and  exclinlimi'  that  of  the  inter^dacial  de|>osits, 
tlie  travele(|  gravels  and  liouhh'rs  markiiiif  the  hJLdiest  levels  of  tin:  drift 
depositson  the  Porcupines  and  footiiillsare  referalile;  iiut  it  iscertain  that 
this  time  was  one  of  <freat  relative  chuuife  of  level,  takiiiii;  the  form  of  a 
depression  toward  the  west  or  southwest.  This  is  rendered  eviileiit  in  a 
hroad  way  hy  tin-  occurrence  of  liaureiitian  stones  to  ii  hei.iiht  of  "),.">( id 
feet,  or  aliout  tiirce  times  that  of  tlu^  present  summit  level  of  tiie  iiaureii- 
tian  plateau  from  which  they  came.  It  is  reinforced  hy  the  association 
of  thes(!  with  limestones  of  the  still  lower  WinnipcLr  hasiii. 

IMirsiiim^  this  ;iri^umeiit  a  litth;  further  into  detail,  wo  may  compare 
some  of  the  levels  at  which  the  hi.nhtrst  drift  is  found  in  several  placi'sin 
the  W(!st.  In  the  I'orcupine  hills  this  lev(;l  is  undoul)tedly  that  of  a  water- 
line,  and  1  heliev(!  it  to  lie  so  also  in  other  places  in  which  it  has  heen 
noted."!'  On  this  assumption  a  relativ(!  depression  to  the  west  at  this 
tinu>  of  '.I  CI  feet  is  indieatoil  hetw(!en  the(!ypress  hills  and  th(!  I'orcu- 


*  IJepdiC  (vf  I'romi'-^s,  (ivdl.  Siivvcv  nl' (,':iri:ii|!«,  Issi-'sl,  p.  l.il  (". 

t 'I'l'i'iMffs  iiDti'd  l).v  Mr  11.  Iv  ('iilv(^r  nciir  Sniiit  Marys  lnUi's,  in  nortlicri)  Mmil.in.i.  may  ri'iirc- 
sciu  tliDSH  lii-n- ili'soriliril,  iiltliouKh  iin  oiiitiMii  drilt  iipiMMrs  (o  Imvf  Iiimmi  roiiml  ii|iciii  tlii'iii.  Mr 
Cdlvcr'x  ilfscrlptliiii  appears  to  show  that  the  levels  arn  alnpiit  llio  salll(^  Trans.  Wisconsin  Aea^l. 
Sei.,  vol.  viii,  p.  ■M■^. 


N    AI.I!I:K1A. 


SFMNfAlfV    A  Nit   itiscfssrov. 


i)\ 


tlic  lower  illlil 
il  In  tlic  west. 
IIS.  Mini,    il     tilt! 

,itli  this  divis- 
r  liust;  of  till' 
>r  llic  otlitT  of 
OldiiiMii  river 
as  I'iir  west  !is 
;  tliiit  it  is  the 

its,  iho  I'dIIow- 

ircnusc  of  llic 
loiiiitaiiis,  iiii- 
•^iilcralile  east- 
liicli  lli(!  same 
silly  (l(!|ii)sits 
ureas  of  slack 
ii'ciirreil. 
e  time  of  their 
e  tract  of  tiic 

eiit  to  that  of 
acial  (le|iosits, 
•Is  of  the  .Irift 
iseertain  that 
tiie  lorii)  of  a 
I  eviileiit  ill  a 
I'i-ht  of  .'),;;()() 
il'  the  liauri'ii- 
le  asso(Matit»ii 

may  eoiii|)are 
ei'al  |)la,ces  in 
lat  of  il  water- 
it  has  heeii 
west  at  this 
1(1  tliu  I'orcii- 


nlufia,  in;iy  rciiii'- 
I  ii|Miii  tlii'in.  Mr 
Wisconsin  AiMil. 


pines,  or  a  slope  of  aliont  I !  feet  to  the  mile,  i'.iit  if  it  he  assumed  that 
this  level  marks  th.it  ol"  the  snrfaee  of  a  imr  ilc  iilurr,  an  extension  of  tin; 
Laureiitide  jfjaeier  (as  has  heeii  done  hy  Mr  rpliam  '.  a  similar  westward 
depression  must  likewise  ix;  admitted.  1  n  so  far  as  such  a  surfaee  mij.dit 
have  departed  from  horizoiitality.  it  must  have  done  so  hy  sloping'  down 
toward  its  termination  in  the  west,  lee  standiiiu:  at  a  level  of  i.liHt  feet 
at  the  ( 'y press  hills  eoi  Id  under  no  eoiieeivahle  eoiiditions  have  heeii 
pushed  up  to  a  lieii^l  I  of  ."),:iilO  feet  at  the  I'orcupines,  •_'il()  miles  further 
in  the  general  direi  lion  of  its  tlow.'^^  'i'lius.  undi.'r  this  liypothesis.  we 
would  lecpiire  to  add  the  amount  of  slope  of  thu  surface  to  that  neces- 
sary under  the  lirst  mentioned  assumption. r 

.\s  to  the  period  to  which  this  N;rcat  western  depression  may  he  as- 
simicd.  it  is  pretty  clear  that  it  must  ai'cord  with  one  or  the  other  of  the 
glacial  formations  not  already  accounted  for.  in  other  words,  it  must 
have  lieeii  synchronous  with  the  lower  or  upper  lioulder-clays  or  with 
th(!  silly  deposits  suhordinate  to  them.  I  have  elsewhcrt;  >,dveii  reasons 
for  the  helief  that  lioth  these  houMer-clays  of  the  western  plains  are 
attrihutahlc  to  the  aueiicy  of  lloatin;;'  ice.j;  hut  this  hy|)othesis  necil  not 
here  he  specially  insisted  on.  I  mportaut  Iteddcd  silty  deposits  are  found 
to  hli'iid  with  111"  upper  part  of  the  upper  iioulder-clay,  and  tin'  fact  that 
lai'ue  erratii's  are  most  ahundanton  the  |>lains  at  the  top  of  or  overlying,' 
the  upper  houlder-clay.  with  the  similarity  of  tln-se  to  those  found  on 
and  ahout  the  I'orcupiiK!  hills  and  foothills  farthest  in  towai-d  the  moun- 
tains, leads  me  to  surliest  that  this  period  of  jfreatest  di  pressioii  corre- 
sponded with  that  of  th(!  upper  lioulder-clay  or  immi  diately  I'ollowed  it. 

\  closer  comparison  of  the  hi^hcsl  levels  of  I'rratic-i  in  dill'erent  parts 
of  the  field  shows  that  the  area  of  irreatest  depression,  and  that  of  jfreatest 
suhseipient  uplift,  touches  the  southern  part  of  the  I'orcupines  and  e.\- 
teiids  thenct!  in  an  east-southeasterly  dir"ction.  and  that  to  this  direction 
a  s(!ries  of  '•  isohasic  "'  lines  of  decreasiuL'  amount  must  have  heen  rou,u;lily 
parallel  for  some  distance  to  the  northeastward.  The  changes  in  eleva- 
tion seem,  however,  to  have  heeii  accompanied  liy  deformation  of  some 
importance,  for  the  hiiiliest  level  of  drift  upon  West  hutte  is  found  to  l)e 
eonsiderahly  helow  what  it  should  he  had  tlu!  dilVerence  in  level  heen  dis- 
trihutod  uniformly  in  proportion  to  distance  hidweeii  the  foothills  and 
the  Cypress  hills,  altliouith  all  threi'  of  tlu;  localities  are  approximately 
in  an  east-and-wost  line.     'I'lie  iiu^ts  are  as  yet  too  U'W  to  eiiahle  tliesi; 

* 'I'lii' iii:ixiniiini  ili'ptli  of  ii'i' or  w;iti'i' covcriiiir  llic  inljiu'i'iu  low  I'liminy  nni^t  li:ivi'  \nwn  iilioiit 
'j,(Hi(i  IVcl  iic'iir  tlic  Cypress  hills  :iii<l  ■J.Kiii  Icct  iicir  the  I'ori'ii|iirics, 

+  A  siiiiihir  rcliilivc  cluiii;;"  of  level  would,  of  course,  lie  e(|ii:illy  ini|illi'i|  on  the  sii|iposltion  of  ti 
uri'at  western  (jl.otier-iliinii 1  l;ikc. 

{On  the  l'hyslot!,iiplili':il  (ieolouy  of  the  liocky  Monntiiin  Ucnion  in  (';iniiila.  'I'riiiis,  Roy.  Hoc. 
Can  ,  vol.  viii,  see.  I,  p.  li;!  et  .soil. 


<)'2      (i.  M.  l>AWS(t\ — (K.AiI  A[.   IIMI'OSITS  n|.'  SOITirWISTKI!  V    A  l.lli:l!l' A. 

Incal  ilillcri'iiccs  1.1  III'  wiirkcil  mil  in  ddail.  liiit  dtlicrs  aliciuly  rrcordiMl 
liiivc  a  similar  nn  aiiiii'j. 

When  tin-  lii^'iii'st  tt'i'iMciN  ami  sliiiiv:!!'  licils  were  luniifil  ii|)uii  tlic 
i'nivii|iiii('>tliriT  is  rmtliciTviilfiicc  In  sIk.w  tliat  ill  tlic  lindy  of  water  (iT 
wliicli  (hc^c  iMrmril  thr  slinivs  a  |iivlly  (Idiiiiti'  ciirri'iit  iiiiist  liavc  I'xistccl. 
Siniic  i|i>taiiri'  to  the  castwanl,  tliix  lu'olialply  llowrd  Sdiitliward  or  soutli- 
wcslwanl.  Iiut  wliiTi'  it  ivai'linl  tiic  liocky  SpriiiL's  platcaM  tlic  a|i|pcar- 
aiiccs  indicate  that  it  was  inoviiiLr  nearly  parallel  to  the  hordcr  ,,{'  the 
ulariated  re'_don  in  Montana, '•  west  or  to  t  lie  north  ol' west  :  thence  i(  ini- 
|iiiiired  npoii  the  liase  of  the  I'ocky  iiioiiiitaiiis  and  was  delieeted  to  a 
northeasterly  direction,  a  circnnistanee  shown  l)y  the  oceurrtiHi'e,  else- 
where referred  to.  of  peiililes  ot'  the  locally  (|evelo|ieil  ^Mveiistone  of  the 
niouii  tains  ill  some  a  I  lunda  I  ICC  on  the  higher  parts  of  the  I'orcupiiie  hills. 
Such  a,  cui'reiit  may  reasonaMy  lie  aceouiite(|  fur  l,\-  the  prevailiiiir  direc- 
tion ol'  the  winds  at  the  time  and  season  of  the  driflaue  of  tilt.'  ic(^ 

fn  the  case  of  these  hiudid'-vel  (Irifts  nf  the  I'orciipiiies  the  d(,'|»osit  of 
eastern  and  western  material  niiisl  have  heeii  contemponuieoiis.  lioth 
find  their  iip|)er  level  at  tlu'  samu  plane,  and  there  are  no  anteceileiit 
deposits  at  such  a  hi'iuht  from  which  either  can  have  heeii  derived.  .\t 
this  time,  moreover,  some  deposit  must  li.ave  liceii  in  course  of  formation 
lienealh  the  siirroundiiiLi,'  d(!e|ier  w;iters  across  which  the  ileliris-licariiiii- 
ice  iloated.  and,  heeause  of  the  nielliiii:-  of  the  ice  and  other  accidents, 
this  could  not  have  heeii  otherwise  than  a  nolahly  stony  one.  .\s  already 
■itateil,  this  is  helieved  to  he  reprcsiMitcd  hy  the  U[>i)er  lioulder-clay,  the 
.silts  overlyinu:  it.  or  in  part  hy  hotli. 

'I'he  terraciiiL'  of  the  I'oreupiiies  is  not  so  pronounced  as  to  re(|uire  tln^ 
loiiLT  preseiii'e  of  tlii!  water-mai'iriii  id  any  of  the  hii,dier  levels,  hut  the 
well  rounded  character  of  most  of  the  stones,  particularly  those  from  the 
niounta'iis,  is  such  as  to  imply  proloiiircd  attrition.  'I'lie  sann;  character 
is  iiotahle  in  the  vast  majoi'ity  of  the  stones  iiicliidod  ui  the  houlder- 
clavs.  It  seems,  in  fact,  prohahle  that  diiriiiii  the  winter  months  at  this 
period  a  massive  ice-foot  formed  aloiitf  the  ahriipt  hase  of  tlie  mountains, 
upon  which,  in  the  spriiii;',  uravels  from  Ihioded  streams  wen-  often  <lis- 
cijarjrtjd.  while  larii(!  ani:ular  liimjstouo  hlocks  from  elilV-falls  also  lodged 
upon  it  in  some  localities.  When  in  summer  this  ice  hrolvc  away  it 
wouhl  carry  with  it  the  load  thus  acipiiivd. 

'I'liat  the  'glaciers  which  .it  the  period  of  th((  Saskatdiewan  <j,ravels  pro- 
trudi'd  from  tlu'  mountains  must  at  this  time  hav«!  slirunk  i)aek  within 
the  raiiue.  in  the  southern  part  of  the  district  at  least,  is  shown  hy  tlu! 
strandiiiLi;  oi'  l.aureiitiaii  l)oul(lers  upon  the  old  moraines  of  these  jrlaciers 
dose  up  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains,     it  is  possihlo  that  the  l>ow  Valley 

*  licpurt  of  ri(i>;rc-'s,  (ii'iil.  Smvi'.v  of  CuiM.ti,  18H2-'81,  p.  148  C. 


>il.i 


V    M.I'.KUTA. 

'iiily  rrcDrdnl 

iril  ll|iii|l  tlic 
ly  (if  water  nf 
liMvc  cxistcil. 
•ani  i»i'  sdiitli- 
I  tile  a|i|pt'ar- 
liMi'ilcr  1(1'  till' 

tlirlicc  it   illl- 

ilcllcctcil  to  a 
'iirr(Mii'c,  clsc- 
■iistDiic  ui'  the 
)r(ii|piii('  hills, 
■vailiiiu'  iliroo- 
tlif  ice. 
tliL'  deposit  of 
iicoiis.  Ilotli 
M  aiiti'ccdriit 

dci'ivfd.  At, 
I'  of  formation 
Icliris-licariiit,' 
licr  accidi'iits, 
'.     As  already 

Idcr-flay.  tlu^ 

o  rr(|iiir('  tlu! 
vels,  imt   till" 

osc  from  the 
me  character 

the  lioulder- 
onths  at  this 
mountains, 

■re  often  dis- 
also  lodue'l 
roUe  away  it 

<irav('ls  pro- 
liaelv  within 
lown  l>y  tlu! 
tiiese  j,daciers 
i  l»ow  Vallev 


SIMMAKV    ANI)    DISCISSION. 


i;;; 


;.daci<'r  may  still  have  continued  t(»  hold  some  importance  in  the  loot- 
hill  reiiioii,  hilt  the  ahiiiidant  supply  of  wi'li  rounded  <„'ravels,  with  other 
circuiiistanees.  renders  it  proliahle  that  the  Uocky  .Mountain  i,daeiers 
generally  had  hecome  strii-tly  local  and  relatively  insimiilicaiit. 

If  it  may  thus  lie  assumed  tiiat  the  higher  terraces  and  traveled  gravels 
of  the  Porcupines  are  a|tproximately  contc^mporaueous  with  the  upper 
lioulder-clay.  all  the  lower  and  later  terraces  and  jiravi;!  phiins  may  lie 
■(•cLrai'ded  as  markiiiL;  sta^'cs  in  the  sulisideiice  of  this  waterdevel  from  its 
ma.ximum  hei^dit  of  o.-'illK  feet.  These,  it  has  already  hecn  nott.'d.  are 
usually  not  stron;.dy  impressisd,  and  there  is  no  evidence  that  thi;  suhsi- 
deiiee  was  ari'(.'ste(l  loiiLi,  (except  at  oik;  .^taiic.  which  is  that  spoken  of  in 
till'  report  of  l.SS2-"Sl  as  l)ein<^  at  ahout  J._'iHMeet.  Further  e.xamina- 
tioM  a|)|tears  to  siiov  tliat  tin;  terraces  referahle  to  this  parti(  uiar  stai^o 
slope  up  gradually  in  the  foothills  and  on  approaching,'  tin;  mountains 
to  a  maximum  heij^dit  of  aliout  l.odl)  feet,  from  which  it  may  lie  arLiued 
that  from  the  last  mentioned  hei^dit  the  water  lowered  its  level  iiradually 
to  one  of  ahout  I. "ill!)  feet,  while  new  jnaterial  was  constantly  lieiiij,' 
washed  down  hy  rivers  from  the  mountains.  A  later  and  still  lower, 
thoujfh  less  important,  period  of  arrest  seems  to  he  marked  Iiy  the  )j;ravil 
plain  near  Maeleod  at  ahout  .".,2l)(>  feet. 

The  lirst  mentioned  line  of  relativestaliility  ajtpears  to  lie  equally  well 
marked  in  tin;  southern  portion  of  the  re;fion,  ahout  Waterton  lake  and 
the  Oldmaii  river,  and  in  the  northern,  in  tlu?  l)OW  valley,  leadiiii;-  to  the 
siiir.iiestioii  that  the  irri'Ljular  u|>lift  of  the  earlier  stages  of  recovery  had 
lieeii  succeeded  aloiifj;  the  hase  of  the  mountains  hy  one  in  which  further 
chanjfe  of  level  occuriHMl  throuj,diout  uniformly,  as  com])ared  with  the 
actual  hei^dits  of  the  surface  found  in  the  same  rejiion  today,  or  with 
isohases  chan^'ed  in  dir(!etion  and  parallel  to  the  trend  of  the  mountains, 
'i'his  later  u|»lift  may  have  continued,  \\\i\\  thestrandinuof  lar^iehoulders 
near  the  waterdine  i'roin  time  to  time,  until  this  part  of  the  plains  reached 
its  )>resent  condition  and  slope. 

Tlicre  is,  however,  sonu;  ^ood  eviilence  to  show  that  in  post^daeial  times 
a  renewed  or  continued  southern  uplift  took  place.  This  is  derived  from 
the  ('hanjj;i's  in  the  eoijrse  of  streams  and  slopes  of  their  valleys,  hut  can- 
not he  entered  into  in  this  paper.* 

In  this  connection  T  may  di,ii;ress  so  far  as  to  mention  that  there  is  a 
somewhat  notahle  corres[)on(lence  hetween  the  hi;;her  levels  of  terraces 
on  hoth  sides  of  the  lltx^ky  mountains  and  continental  watershed.  It  is 
found  in  the  southern  ])art  of  the  interior  plateau  of  Uritisli  ("oluinhia 


»  Report  of  Progress,  (teoj.  Survey  of  Cunadn,  1882-'84,  p.  \M  C;  Anmml  Report,  Gool.  Survey  of 
Ciiniiiiilii,  vol.  i  (n.  s.),  p.  ".')  C;  Pliysiognphiciil  Geology  of  tlio  Rocky  Mountain  region  in  Cuiiiidii, 
Tians.  Royal  Sor.  Caiiiula.vol.  viii,  see.  4,  p.  (lit. 

IX-IUi,i,.  <ii;oi..  Soc.  Am.,  Vol..  7,  1895, 


()4      (J.  M.  DAWSON — (iL.VCI  Xr.  DIOI'OSITS  ol'  SOimi WKSTKKV  AMIKIITA. 


that  tlie  hijjflu'st  tcfniccs  occur  ;it  elevations  of  from  o,,')!)!)  t(>  ."),!)0()  liHit ; 
that  helow  this  there  is  a-  reiiiarkalih'  paucity  of  terraces  down  to  ahout 
4,4.")()  feet,  lietweeii  wiiiehaiid  a  height  of -t.-'lOi)  W'a'I  aiiotiier  well  niarkeil 
fffoup  of  old  water-lines  appears.  'Pliese  facts  are  fully  deserihed  in  my 
forthcoming!;  re|>ort  on  the  Kaiuloops  map-sheet.  The  eireunistanc(! 
may  not  he  more  tiian  a  cMneidenee,  hut  it  is  certainly  a  striUinj^  one 
and  one  worthy  of  further  investiiration. 

As  it  has  already  heen  stated  that  no  .'ertain  evidence  has  heen  found 
such  as  to  show  that  the  lower  lioulder-elay  may  not  i»e  tiiat  extcndinjf 
farthest  west  and  in  toward  the  i)ase  of  the  mountains,  it  may  he  ap- 
pr()[uiate  now  to  mention  the  hypotheses  which  present  themselves  on 
that  assumption.  If  the  lower  lioulder-clay  Iiolds  this  position  and  was 
deposited  contemporaneously  with  the  hii;li-levcl  erratics  and  uravels, 
the  upper  Itoulder-clay  may  veiy  well  have  lici  .1  laid  down  in  the  liody 
of  water  standing-  later  at  the  inferior  levels  of  from  4,")(HI  to  4,200  feet 
and  indicated  hy  the  well  marked  terraces  and  jfravel  jtlains  already 
alhided  to.  This  hypotliesis.  of  course,  assumes  that  a  houhler-clay 
may  he  deposited  from  floating;  ice,  and  to  me  it  appi-ars  prohaMe  that  a 
material  of  this  nature  may  hav<;  l>een  formed  in  any  one  of  three  ways, 
namely,  l)eneath  a  ^dacier,  aiiout  the  ed;fe  of  a  .irlacier  as  a  tluvio-glacial 
deposit,  or  helow  a  Ixxly  of  water  cliariied  with  lloatini;;  ice. 

Accordin.u;  to  still  another  possihle  hypothesis,  it  may  he  supposed  th.it 
while  the  lower  lioulder-clay  is  that  stretchinii  farthest  west  and  sprcad- 
in;j;  around  the  l>ase  of  the  Porcuiiiiie  hills,  the  hiuli  terraces  may  IkmIuc 
to  a  suhseipient  tloodiiii:-  ahout  the  tiini'  of  the  upper  houlder-clay.  'i'his, 
however,  does  not  appear  to  accord  well  with  the  fat'ts.  for  in  this  case 
there  is  no  recoj^iiizahle  deposit  in  the  lower  parts  (tf  the  Hooded  district 
near  the  I'orcu|)ine  hills  to  represent  this  period  of  sui)meru;enee. 

Kespectinjf  the  actual  western  limit  of  eastern  erratics,  the  investiga- 
tion here  reported  upon  seems  to  sh(>',\-  that  the  line  marked  upon  the 
niaj)  aeconiiianying  the  report  of  iS,S2-"St  nearly  correspomls  with  oh- 
served  drift  of  this  origin  in  the  houlder-clays  proper,  slightly  exceeding 
this  to  the  south  of  the  Porcupines  and  falling  a  litth;  short  of  it  to  the 
north,  Imt  that  scattered  erratics  occur  in  places  considerahly  farther  to 
the  wt'st.  These  are  found  upon  the  high(!r  ridges  and  hills,  ami  if 
])resent  e<|ually  in  the  valleys  have  there  heen  concealed  hy  a  later  wash 
from  tlie  mountains.  Jlehind  the  Porcupines,  the  oecurrencis  of  such 
erratics  is  in  inverse  proportion  to  the  amount  of  shelter  allorded  on  the 
east  hy  the  higher  parts  of  these  hills— a  fact  ei|Ually  explicahlc;  under 
any  hypothesis  of  their  deposition;  hut  the  occurrence  of  such  sporadic 
erratics  renders  it  diilicult  to  draw  any  precise  western  line,  and  it  is 
possihle  that  renewed  investigation  of  the  higher  foothills  may  in  some 


i!\  Ai,i;i:iiTA. 


srMMAKY    ANM)    DISCISSION. 


65 


10  t.»  .'),;',0()  I'ctit; 

down  to  iilxmt 
cr  well  marked 
Icscrilicd  in  my 
>  circumstaniM' 

a  striking  one 

lias  l)('(>n  found 

that  extendiu";; 

it  may  be  ap- 

tluMnsclvcs  on 

.)sition  and  was 

;'s  and  uravcis, 

\\u  in  tlio  l)ody 

0(1  to  4,200  f(;et 

plains  already 

a  Uouldcr-clay 

prol)a1ilo  that  a 

!  of  throe  ways. 

a  lluvio-glacial 

ec. 

e  supposed  that 
est  and  spread- 
cs  may  Ix;  due 
er-clay.  This, 
)r  in  this  ease 
ooded  district 
u'ence. 

the  investiija- 
ked  upon  the 
inds  witii  oli- 
itly  e.\eee(|inii 
irt  of  it  to  the 
dily  farther  to 
hills,  and  if 
V  a  later  wash 
renee  of  such 
Horded  on  the 
licalilt!  under 
inch  sporadic^ 
line,  and  it  is 
may  in  some 


places  result  in  their  occasional  discovery  even  farth.er  to  the  west  than 
they  have  yet  hoen  oliserved. 

Another  fa<'t  of  importance,  ami  one  whii'h  impri'sse(l  itself  on  the 
writer  in  tiie  course  of  the  recent  examination,  is  the  followiuir:  Kxcept 
in  the  case  of  the  moraines  evidently  rereral)le  to  ulacii-rs  of  tlit!  IJocky 
mountains,  which  we  have  found  reason  to  assij^n  to  a  very  early  period 
and  which  save  in  the  case  of  How  valley  are  closely  confined  tothehase 
of  the  mountains,  the  more  olivions  evidences  of  the  work  of  ;j;laciers  are 
conspicuously  al)S(!nt  in  this  entire  reizion  of  the  foothills  and  Porcupine 
hills.  The  hitrhest  and  farthest  limits  of  tiie  drift  are  not  mai'ked  liy 
moraines,  and  moraines,  drundins.  kan-es.  and  eskers  are.  with  tin,'  al)ove 
exceptions,  entirely  wantintr.  'I'his  is  very  strik..i,n'  when  comparison  is 
made  between  this  reu;ion  and  that  of  ilriti  di  Colnndiia  or  the  i,aurcntian 
jdateau,  both  of  which  are  known  to  have  been  overridden  by  vast 
glaciers. 

Within  the  past  year  Professor  T.  ('.  Cliamberlin  has  fornndated  and 
name(l  a  series  of  stages  in  the  glacial  history  of  North  .Xmeri.-i.  and 
although  the  author  of  the  chissilication  woidil  prolial>ly  lie  the  first  to 
admit  its  provisional  character,  it  has  nndouiitedly  already  lieen  of  con- 
siilerable  service  in  sugLicsting  a  basis  of  iirrangement  and  in  fixing  the 
direction  of  future  work.  Thus  it  will  be  appropriate  Ijricfly  to  note 
here  in  conclusion  what  appear  to  the  write!'  to  lie  the  probable  relations 
of  the  glacial  deposits  of  .\liierta  to  this  gcnci'al  classification. 

The '"lower"  boulder-claymay.it  is  fielieved.be  regarded  as  re[ire- 
senting  tlu'  Kansan  formation,  while  the  interglaeial  deposits,  best  d(!- 
veloped  along  the  Uelly  river,  are  su|)pose(l  to  b(>  contemporaneous  with 
the  jtost-Kan.san  interval,  'i'he  "upper"  boulder-clay  of  the  western 
plains  may  then  be  identified  with  the  Iowa;,  formation  and  like  it  is 
associated  with  abimdant  silty  lieds.  The  Wisconsin  formatioi\  is  in  all 
l)robabilit\'  not  met  with  in  the  extreme  west,  Imt  its  limit  in  this  direc- 
tion may  be  marked  Itythe  .Missouri  Cotcau,  which  in  Canadian  teri'itory 
extends  from  the  forty-ninth  parallel  to  the  North  Saskatchewan  and  in- 
definitely beyond  in  the  farthei'  north.  'I'Ik!  post-lowan  interval,  in  this 
case,  ai)pears  here,  as  in  the  I'egion  farther  east,  to  be  marked  by  the 
erosion  of  important  interglaeial  valleys,  which  find  their  linut  at  the 
Coteau  and  its  systems  of  drift  ridges  and  hills.*  No  deposits  lik«'  the 
(  oteau  occur  inconneetion  with  the  western  ternnnationsof  the  •"  lower" 
or  "  upper"  l>oulder-clays. 

Iicverting  now,  on  tin-  basis  of  the  above  correlatiori,  to  ilie  Saskatche- 
wan gravels  and  the  "  western  "  bouMer-elay,  it  will  be  apjiarent  that 
these  must  repreisent  an  anteeedeut  and  unnamed  stage  of  glaeiation  in 


•  (ioi)logy  and  Kcsourees  of  the  Forty-ninth  Pumllcl,  p.  B!(). 


0()      (i.  M.  DAWSON — (ILACIAf,  DKI'OSITS  OF  SOUTirWKSTKUN   AM'.KIITA. 

Nortli  Aniorica.  This,  with  scarcely  an\'  doubt,  may,  Croin  tho  ol)sorva- 
tions  t^iven  in  tliis  paper,  l)c  iv<j;ai'(lc(l  as  that  of  the  inaxiimim  of  tiie 
t'onliUeran  jflacier,  and  to  it  1  would  propose  to  apply  the  name  of  the 
Alhertan  stai^e  or  formation. 

The  Saskatchewan  gravels  may  very  i)ossihly  re))resent  the  r^afayette 
formation  of  the  eastern  states.  This  correlation  has  been  su^f<,'ested  by 
.Mr  U})ham,  but  it  is  i»ruilent  as  yet  to  hold  it  subject  to  correction,  for 
there  appears  to  be  some  daniier  of  referrinjj;  to  a  sin<^le  formation  various 
remote  gravelly  (U^posits  found  below  boulder-clays.  It  is,  however, 
maintained  by  Professor  ('.  H.  iritchcock  that  the  Lifayette  represents 
the  earliest  ejioch  of  glaciation  in  eastern  .Vmerica,  which  in  itself  ap- 
pears to  give  at  least  some  force,  with  our  ])resent  information,  to  the 
hypothesis  that  we  lind  tiie  g  jatest  development  of  glacial  agencies  at 
this  same  time  in  the  nnvximum  spread  of  the  Cordilleran  ice-sheet, 
while  only  at  a  later  date  did  the  center  of  ice  distril)ution  migrate  to 
the  Laurentian  plateau.  Such  a  migration  must  have  been  in  intimate 
connection  with  the  vast  relative  changes  of  level,  of  which  some  striking 
evidence  is  found  in  the  particular  region  now  under  consideration. 

In  these  later  pages  of  this  pa[)er  it  may  be  that  conjecture  has  in  some 
instances  been  pushed  too  far,  l)ut  so  long  as  it  is  understood  to  be  merelj' 
a  tentative  discussion  of  the  facts  given,  without  connnent,  in  the  Ixxly  of 
the  pa])er,  it  cannot  be  misleading,  in  this  southwestern  part  of  Alberta 
it  is  at  least  manifest  that  the  records  exist,  more  or  less  oliscured  and 
interwoven,  of  a  complicated  series  of  conditions  during  the  (ilacial 
j)eriod,  the  tinal  reading  of  which  must  add  materially  to  our  knowl- 
edge of  the  glacial  history  of  the  continent  as  a  whole. 


UN  AMSKIITA. 

)m  the  ol)serva- 
axitiiuin  of  the 
lio  naiiio  t)f  tlio 


t  the  liiifiiyette 
ill  .su^<,'este(l  b)- 
•  correction,  for 
matioii  various 
[t  i.s,  however, 
ette  represents 
■li  in  itself  ap- 
•niation,  to  tlie 
'ial  agencies  at 
'ran  ice-siieet, 
on  migrate  to 
un  in  intimate 
some  striiving 
iteration, 
re  has  in  some 
1  to  he  nierel}' 
in  the  body  of 
lart  of  All)erta 
oliscured  and 
g  tile  (ijacial 
;o  our  knowl- 


